The Night Scourge
by R4B1D MO053
Summary: After four years of living with the tragedy of watching a human assassin kill her mother right before her eyes, Laeli is forced to leave her home and seek the help of her fellow elves after the humans strike once again.
1. Chapter 1 Memories

I awoke in the night with a start and sat bolt upright in bed. I hated nightmares. I put my hand over my racing heart. My skin was drenched with sweat. I closed my eyes and put my head in my hands. I gulped in deep breaths of the cool night air, trying to calm down.

It had been four years since my mother had been killed by an assassin of the Western Republic. Still, that horrid day haunted me in my dreams. The Western Republic is a legion of humans who believe we elves are hellish demons sent to force humanity into slavery, which is not the case. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of humans who know we mean no harm. I remember that day with such a clarity, that when I close my eyes, I still see the terrifying images.

Walking through the garden with her… sitting next to the fountain… a strange man garbed in black climbing over the wall… my mother screaming at me to run… seeing the man stab her three times… the man running away… me holding her limp, bloody body… screaming for the guards… the look on my father's face…

I got up. There was no way I could go back to sleep now. Walking over to the mirror I had in my room, I looked at myself. My face was flushed and my dark brown hair hung limp around my face. My thin frame was trembling as I hugged myself.

I turned from the mirror and walked out of my room and wandered through the castle. The cold stone walls of Myricana didn't make me feel safe like they used to. Their silence only made me feel more alone. I paused to look out a window. The full moon shone brightly over my father's kingdom. The village below was silent. Nothing moved except for the occasional patrolling guard or stray cat or dog. I continued on my walk. I was getting closer to the ground level now. The guards in the castle didn't stop me, because they knew where I was going; the garden.

Oddly, I found comfort at this spot. It was the exact place of that fateful day. The fragrance of the flowers greeted me and I breathed deeply. The quiet trickle of the fountain summoned more images of that day. Sitting down at the fountain's edge, I looked at the moon's reflection on the glassy surface of the water. The stars and constellations above told me stories of the past and hopeful future. Tillid the Hunter killing one of the Republic's emperors. Nomar the Mighty standing guard over the elfin race. Daris the swan, reminding my people of my mother's death. And the nameless dove, foretelling peace between mankind and the elves.

"It's not safe to be out here all alone." I jumped at the sound of my father's voice. "Sorry for sneaking up on you," he chuckled. He came over and sat down next to me, and wrapped me in his warm, strong arms. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," I replied, even though there were tears streaming down my face. We sat in silence for a long time, listening to the night sounds. We didn't move until the sky was lit with fire by the rising sun.

"Come," said my father, "let's go eat our breakfast."

I allowed myself to be led inside. I looked up at my father's face. He had a hard and unreadable expression. I knew that look.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled.

"Nothing you need to worry about. You know as well as I that being king has its fair share of chaos."

I smiled and nodded. "That it does."

By this time we had arrived at the kitchen. We only ate in the great hall when we had guests. The smell of bacon and eggs made my mouth water.

"Good morning, King Oenthe, Princess Laeli," greeted the cook. A chorus of 'good mornings' soon followed hers.

"Good morning," we replied as we walked over to the table to sit down. We ate our breakfast in silence and listened to a maid sing a cheery song about a young girl and boy who fall in love and get married.

I loved breakfast since it was the only time I got to spend with my father. We usually ate lunch and supper at different times, so I cherished this time I had with him, though we rarely said anything at breakfast.

By the time the maid had finished her song, a servant had collected our plates. My father stood up, kissed my forehead, and walked out of the kitchen. Before he left, he paused and said, "I want you to go see Sosoto today."

"The captain? Why?"

"These are dark times. You should learn how to properly defend yourself. And… well, you'll find out."

Before I could ask him what he meant, he was gone. I knew we elves had some special abilities, but we weren't told about them until we were nineteen so we wouldn't go into battle too early. I was only seventeen, so I had no idea what it could be. Like my father said, I'd find out eventually.


	2. Chapter 2 Lessons

After a long ride on my horse, I decided that it was time to go see Sosoto.

Still atop my horse, I made my way over to the guardhouse. After the training field came into view, I stopped my horse and dismounted. I handed the reigns to a squire and instructed him to take the horse to the stables. I walked over to the captain's quarters and knocked on the door.

"Come in," said a gruff voice.

I opened the door and walked in to see the captain sitting on the foot of his bed, lacing his boots. "Ah, Laeli. I've been expecting you. Your father sent me a message that I was to teach you how to fight. Among other things." He finished tying his boots and stood up. He was wearing a breastplate, helmet and gauntlets all made of iron. His greaves were made of leather, as was his boots. His hair was graying slightly, and he had soft, kind, blue eyes. He had a scar underneath his right eye. He stood about a head higher than me. He reached for his sword and strapped it to his belt.

"Shall we?" He gestured outside. I nodded and led the way to the sparring circle. Sosoto called a young apprentice over to join us. He was wearing a protective suit made of leather, and was carrying one of the dull practice swords. He was a few inches taller than me, and had long, black hair that came down to his dark brown eyes. He looked to be my age, possibly older. He was lean and buff, as was the typical male elf physique.

"Rayult is fairly new to the art of swordplay as well. I figured there wasn't any harm in having you two practice together." What? This was ridiculous! Did he honestly expect me to train with _him_? He was twice my size! He could beat me to death with these blunt swords we were using, even if I was going to wear the tough leather armor similar to his.

"Captain, may I have a word?" I insisted.

"Certainly."

We walked away a few feet, out of Rayult's earshot. After I expressed my concerns to the Captain, he chuckled and said, "Rayult won't kill you. I won't let him. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." I still wasn't so sure, but my father wanted me to do this, and I would do anything for him.

I knew I was overreacting, but I felt slightly better when the captain brought out the tough leather suit I was supposed to wear. It was hot and heavy, but I knew the dulled swords wouldn't penetrate it. After I was suited up, Sosoto went through some basic stances and motions with me, and instructed Rayult to enter the sparring circle.

"Now Rayult, don't strike back. Just block her attacks so she can get used to the sword." I was starting to grow more confident. He wasn't _that _scary.

"Are you ready?" he asked us. We nodded. "Begin."

Rayult advanced a few feet and stopped. I took a deep breath and ran forward. Rayult planted his legs in the ground, readying himself for the coming assault. Halfway across the ring, my foot caught on a stone, and I fell to the ground. Rayult dropped his sword and ran forward to assist me.

"Are you okay?" He offered his hand to help me up.

"I'm fine," I said, ignoring his outstretched hand. I got up and brushed the dust off of myself. "Get your sword and let's get this over with."

I felt humiliated. The few people watching were unsuccessfully suppressing their laughter. I silenced them with a glare.

At Sosoto's signal, I ran forward again, but this time I was careful to watch my step. At the last second, I jumped and brought the sword down in a devastating blow that Rayult sidestepped and avoided. Upon landing, I swung the sword at him, and he blocked it with ease. I knew I never stood a chance against him, even if he was just an apprentice. But I was surprised that I couldn't even touch him.

This carried on for several minutes, until I finally hit him squarely in the ribs with a THWACK! Only then did the captain ask us to stop. Rayult was doubled over. I had knocked the wind out of him. Captain Sosoto checked on him while I tried not to laugh.

When Sosoto was sure Rayult was ok, he stood up and said to me, "With your permission, your highness, I think that's enough for today."

Before I could answer, a voice behind me said, "Not quite."

I turned around. It was my father. He was wearing his bright steel armor. His longsword was at his side.

"I'd like to practice with her," he requested.

I was so shocked at his sudden appearance that I barely heard Sosoto say "Begin."

I thought Rayult was intimidating, but my father had fought in many wars, and had decades of training behind him. I was terrified. But I knew he would never, ever hurt me. Oddly, as he started walking forward, he seemed… slow. In fact, everything appeared sluggish. As he raised his sword for the first blow, I easily parried and returned his strike, hitting him in the side. He grinned, and redoubled his efforts, laughing and swinging his sword lightning fast… but mine was faster. For every three blocks, I hit him once, sometimes twice. This continued for what seemed like hours, until my father nearly screamed, "Stop!" and fell to his knees.

Oh, no. Not again. Ever since his most recent war with the Western Republic, his entire body would flare up with unbearable pain, leaving him incapacitated for several minutes. Nobody knew why this happened, only that it happened when his body was under extreme physical stress.

I ran over and knelt down next to him. I commanded one of the guards to get him some water. I removed my father's heavy breastplate. He breathed easier once it was off.

"Dad? Are you okay?" I asked. His only reply was a grunt, but that was enough. This happened often enough that I could remain calm.

The guard returned with a pitcher of cool water and a wooden goblet. I filled the cup to the brim and handed it to my father. He drank it down in three large gulps.

By now a crowd had gathered. They pressed in close around us. The captain ordered everyone to get back. Only one other person stayed behind with us; my training partner, Rayult.

I returned my attention to my father. I could tell the pain was starting to fade because he wasn't as rigid. After a few more minutes, he started to stand back up. I was about to suggest he should rest, but I stopped myself. He hated it when people said that.

"Sosoto," he said stiffly, "finish teaching her about… what I told you. I think I'm done for today." He steadied himself, and walked inside with the assistance of a guard.

"Yes, m'lord," replied Sosoto. To me, he said, "Come, let's go sit somewhere in the shade. We're finished sparring for today."


	3. Chapter 3 The Power of the Elves

The King's Oak stood next to Stone Lake. Many festivals had taken place under its ancient branches. When a king was crowned, it was tradition that he would use a hot iron to make his mark on the tree. This tree had lasted through many droughts, fires, and wars. My father had played under the King's Oak when he was a child… so had my mother. They were wed under the tree as well, as had many couples. It was said that any marriage would last forever if it began under the giant oak. It was under this very tree that Sosoto and I now sat.

"Traditionally, we would wait to educate you until you became of age, but King Oenthe requested that you learned this a bit early." Sosoto began. "I'm sure you know the elfin race is… special. If we weren't, we would just be humans with pointy ears," he chuckled.

I nodded. I was surprised and nervous. I knew I was ready, but I was frightened of the unknown.

"Let's start with something you have most likely already experienced. Have you ever been doing something that was scary, and everything seemed to slow down?" I immediately thought of that very morning when I was sparring with my father.

"Yeah, I have. I thought it was just adrenaline."

"That's a common misconception. Elves don't have adrenaline. What we have is much, much better. It's called blood shock. It occurs whenever you feel a lot of fear or anger. Those feelings will sort of shock your blood, sending your body into overdrive. Like adrenaline, you are stronger, faster, and your senses are heightened. But unlike adrenaline, time literally slows down for whoever experiences blood shock. To anyone else, one appears to be moving very fast. It's quite the phenomenon."

"No kidding," I muttered.

"But that's not all," he stopped suddenly. "Ah, lunch."

Three servants were approaching us. One was carrying a tray of fruit, meat, cheese, and bread. Another carried a pitcher of wine. The third carried a small table for us to eat on. After he set the table down between Sosoto and me, he politely asked if we needed anything else.

"Could you check on my father?" I asked, "He had another attack today."

"Of course," said the servant. The three of them bowed, and walked away.

"So, as I was saying, blood shock is not the only thing that sets us apart from the humans." He paused to take a bite of some bread and cheese. "We also have the ability of shape shifting. There is, however, one limitation: we can only take the form of one animal. The animal you can change into, or your alternate, varies from other elves. Some think it's random, others think it's the animal you most resemble." He paused again to drink some wine. I took the opportunity to ask him a question.

"How do we shape shift?"

He swallowed his wine and spoke, "The initial shape shifting is triggered by an overwhelming sense of fear, anger or frustration. It's kind of like blood shock, but after the first transformation, you can shift to your alternate whenever you please. It comes naturally after the first time. That's why I can't just explain how. It would be like teaching someone how to swallow; you can't because it just comes naturally."

Just then, the servant returned. He made a slight bow and said, "King Oenthe is well. He is sleeping now." I felt relieved. I dismissed the servant, who bowed again and left to see to his duties.

I was curious what Sosoto's alternate was, so I asked him.

"A snake. It comes in handy when spying on the enemy, because I can hide in small spaces easily."

We ate in silence for a while. Eventually, Sosoto went on with his lecture.

"One last thing. Each and every elf can control one element. Once again, that element varies from elf to elf. But, unlike shape shifting, this can be taught, but only by another elf who can control the same element. I'm sure you know the four earthly elements: fire, earth, wind and water. On very rare occasions, some elves have been known to control light. There's only one elf alive today who can control light; your father, King Oenthe."


	4. Chapter 4 Heritage

As I walked back to the castle that evening, I thought about what I had learned that day. Sosoto had asked me to come back the next day so he could help me discover my element, and possibly my alternate.

After I ate my supper, I made my way to my father's bedroom. I knew he was fine, but I wanted to ask him about his control over light. I hoped he was awake. If he was sleeping, I would leave him be. I approached his door and knocked.

"Come in," he said. I walked into the room. He was lying on a sofa next to the fireplace. He smiled at the sight of me.

"Hi, Dad," I greeted him timidly. I hardly ever came to see him anymore, especially in his room.

"Hello, my dear. I'm guessing you have a few questions for me."

"I do. Sosoto told me you can control light."

"Could," he corrected me. "I could control light. I let everyone think I still can. Imagine how they would feel if they knew their king was losing his power." He smiled to himself. I was shocked. I'd never considered we could lose our powers.

"Don't look so worried," he continued, "I'm fine. It's very rare for us to lose our powers with age. It's highly unlikely you will lose yours. But sometimes I can control light. Maybe if I concentrate…" He focused intently on the fire. For a second, there was no light in the room, but the fire was still burning. My father couldn't hold it for very long. The light came back, and my father returned his attention to me.

"See?" he said, pleased with himself. "I used to be able to blind people, or produce light from thin air without a flame. It's much more difficult for me to control it now," he paused thoughtfully. "I wonder… close your eyes, Laeli. Concentrate on my voice." I did as he asked. "Now try to _feel_ the light in the room. Ignore the heat from the fire. Do you feel it?"

I tried to sense something, but there was nothing there. "No," I said, "I can't feel anything."

He sighed. "Maybe it's too soon."

I opened my eyes. "Or maybe I can't control light. It _is_ very rare." He just sat there and nodded his head. I decided to change the topic. "Can you still shape shift?"

"Unfortunately, no. I've tried many times, but it's just gone. My alternate was a white tiger. I loved that form. I felt so strong and fierce." He closed his eyes and sighed. "I miss those days." I sat in silence for a while, mesmerized by the flames in the fire pit.

"What about mom?" I asked.

My father looked at me in surprise. "What about her?"

What element could she control? And what animal could she shift into?"

"She controlled the water. As for her animal form, she could turn into a panther." He looked sad. I knew mom was a touchy subject, but I was just curious. "It's late, and you should go to bed. You've had a long day."

"So did you," I retorted.

He laughed. "Good night, Laeli."

I walked over and hugged him. "Good night."


	5. Chapter 5 Discovery

I woke the next morning feeling well rested. When I arrived in the kitchen, my father had already eaten. He left me a note saying that he was sorry for missing breakfast and that he had some pressing matters to take care of. I dismissed it from my mind and enjoyed the alone time.

When I finished eating, I made my way to the training grounds to meet Sosoto. I was anxious to learn what my powers were. But, instead of getting straight to the good stuff, we started the day with more sparring against Rayult. Hoorah. I was a little nervous, and for good reason; Rayult was allowed to hit me back.

But the fear triggered the blood shock.

I had forgotten about that. I felt the sensation surge through my veins and muscles. Time slowed down, and I smiled menacingly. Rayult saw me smile and a look of fear came into his eyes. Seconds later, he mimicked my smile. This was going to get interesting.

Sosoto gave the signal to begin, and we both charged forward. I felt like I was flying rather than running. The gap between us closed quickly… our swords clashed… and broke. The impact from the combined strength of the blood shock in our bodies had shattered the swords. We both stood, dumbstruck, staring at the two broken-off sword tips on the ground. I looked over at Sosoto, who was just as flabbergasted as we were.

"Well," said Rayult, "now what?"

Then the laughter started. Spectators were rolling on the ground, Rayult was doubled over, I had collapsed, and Sosoto had tears in his eyes. The whole compound was in hysteria.

The laughter continued for several minutes, then eventually quieted to chuckles. "We'll try practicing tomorrow," said Sosoto. "Rayult, take the broken swords to the smith to be repaired. Then meet us under the King's Oak."

As we made our way to the King's Oak, Sosoto described how he would help me discover the element I controlled.

"I have three guards coming to assist me, since I can't control all the elements, obviously. I have Rayult coming, since he controls fire, and he's the only person I'm acquainted with who can wield fire. The other two you won't know. There's Ratos, who can control the wind, and Whist, who can control water. I command the earthly element, so we're well taken care of. They should be joining us shortly."

"I didn't think Rayult would be old enough yet. He looks to be seventeen."

"Rayult is twenty. I would have selected someone with more experience, but like I said, I don't know anyone else who can control fire." We arrived at the old tree, and sat in the shade to wait.

The two guards arrived first. They had no use for armor here, so they were wearing everyday clothes. Rayult soon followed.

"Shall we begin, Princess Laeli?" asked Sosoto. I nodded eagerly. "Very well. Since your mother controlled water, we'll start with Whist."

Whist stepped forward and dumped a cup of water on the ground. The thirsty earth drank the water up. He set the empty cup on the ground next to the muddy patch and said, "Put the water back into the cup without getting any dirt in it."

I sat down on the ground and stared at where Whist spilled the water. I was confused.

"Just picture the water moving into the cup," he instructed. I tried, and the dirt remained wet and soggy. I looked over at Sosoto and shrugged.

"Thank you, Whist," said Sosoto. "You may go."

The mud soon became a tiny puddle as the water seeped up from the ground and into the air. It was suspended in the air for a second, then the water fell neatly into the cup. Whist picked it up, took a drink, and walked away. The spot where the mud had been only seconds before was now completely dry.

Sosoto turned to Rayult. "Rayult? You're up."

Rayult bent over and picked up a stick that was about a yard long. He placed one hand on one end of the stick and concentrated.

"It's much harder to produce a flame from nothing than it is to use one that already exists." Sosoto explained.

Eventually, Rayult's hand burst into flames and caught the stick on fire. He removed his hand, which was now extinguished, but the stick still burned. He turned the stick so the flaming end was at the bottom, leaving the flames free to consume the stick.

"Prevent the fire from burning me," he instructed.

I stared intently at the fire. It was still greedily licking up the stick toward Rayult's exposed hand, and I couldn't stop it. This was crazy! He was going to get burned and he would probably blame it on me! I tried harder to stop the advancing flames, but still they made their way up. Instinctively, at the last second, I shot my hand forward, releasing a blast of wind that extinguished the flaming stick.

Sosoto smiled. "Wind it is." I stared, dumbstruck at my hands, as if expecting a tornado to start whirling from my fingertips.

"You know," said Rayult, "even if the fire had made it all the way up the stick, it never would have burned me." I glared at him. He had tricked me into thinking he would get hurt. But at least I knew I could control the wind now.

Ratos seemed pleased that he had something in common with the royal family. "Well done. Looks like I'll be teaching you how to use the wind as a potentially deadly weapon. Come and see me sometime," he said. Then he turned around and left.

Rayult started to leave as well, but Sosoto stopped him. "I may need your assistance with this next one."

Just then, the alarm bell sounded, alerting the guards of some kind of emergency.

Sosoto looked in the direction of the sound. "We'll have to finish this tomorrow. I have to go. Rayult, escort Princess Laeli to the castle." Then he ran off, leaving me and Rayult alone under the King's Oak.

"Come on," said Rayult, "we gotta go." Then he took off running in the direction of the castle. I followed close behind him, and let him lead the way. He looked back at me to be sure I was still following, and that we weren't being followed.

Another guard came toward us, running. "Princess," he began, "an assassin of the Western Republic has been found nearby. He's still on the loose. We have moved your father to a secure location. You are to go there immediately."

"I'll take her there," said Rayult, and started running again, but this time in a different direction.

"How do you know where you're going?" I shouted at him.

"All guards know where the secure location is. Don't worry, you'll be safe there."

An abandoned tavern came into view. Rayult approached the door, knocked twice, waited, and knocked twice again. Moments later, the door opened, and a guard appeared. He looked around, and instructed us to come inside. He led us to a back room where my father was hiding. The guard closed the door behind me and Rayult, who apparently had nothing better to do, because he stayed with us. The room was dark. There were no candles, and there was a heavy, dark curtain drawn over the only window in the room.

I ran over to where I had seen my father sitting, and hugged him tightly. "I was so scared," I said.

"It's okay now," he assured me, stroking my hair, "Everything is all right." But I knew he was lying: I could hear the fear in his voice.


	6. Chapter 6 Running

They never did find the assassin. We had stayed in that dusty old tavern for hours, and didn't let us go back to the castle until night had fallen. They didn't dare have lunch or supper delivered to us, for fear it would give away the location of our hiding place, so we were famished by the time we were allowed to return to the castle. The only reason they let us go back was because we were safer in its stone walls rather than in the old wooden tavern.

For the first time in a long time, my father and I had our supper together. Rayult had left three or four hours before we were released, so he was most likely eating his supper with the other guards.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, I decided to tell my father about my newfound power.

"Wind?" he said, surprised. "Really? I would have expected light like me, or water like…" he drifted off. "Did you discover your alternate form yet?"

"We were going to try, but the alarm sounded before we could. I'll find out eventually," I said. At least, I hoped I would find out.

I slept deeply that night. I dreamed I was flying over Stone Lake. I saw the King's Oak, and the castle over in the distance. The feeling of the wind swirling around me felt glorious. Suddenly, I was falling. There was no way I could stop. I tried using my control over the wind to slow my decent, but I found that the air no longer obeyed me. The rushing wind stole the breath out of my lungs. I was falling faster and faster. The lake was getting closer. I closed my eyes, anticipating the impact. Just as my body hit the water below, I screamed and woke up. The guards that were posted outside my door came in, swords drawn.

"Are you all right?" one of them asked.

"Yeah," I gasped, "it was just a bad dream."

The guards left and I laid back down. I was wide awake now. I would have gone out to the garden, but I knew it wasn't smart nor safe to do so. So I just lay in bed, trying to go back to sleep.

My thoughts wandered to the events of that day. The amusing incident at the training grounds, then discovering I could control the wind, then chaos. I thought about Rayult; I thought about how he had scared me when he fooled me into thinking the fire would burn him. That made me a little angry. How he stayed with me until I was safe. I was dozing now, teetering on the line between awareness and slumber.

It was at this instant that my bedroom door burst open, startling me into full awareness. Two people came in. I could tell they were guards by the sound of their armor clinking.

"Princess Laeli," said one of them, "it is of the utmost importance that you immediately pack some belongings, and come with us." I was taught to never question a guard when he asked you to do something out of the norm. They usually explained what was going on when it was appropriate. As I got out of bed to follow their orders, they started to tell me what was happening.

"The assassin was in the castle. We caught him and questioned him. A legion of the Western Republic is on their way here to annihilate the elves."

I froze. "When will they get here?"

"A scout was sent out to determine this. They will arrive within the hour. The assassin was sent to kill you and your father to set the kingdom in turmoil so they could strike and wipe us out." I looked out my widow. I wasn't sure, but I could swear I saw torches off in the distance. I resumed my packing.

"Where will I go?" I asked.

The guard looked grim. "We don't know."

I finished getting some spare clothes, grabbed my stash of gold, and followed the guards to the kitchen. The cook had a pack of food waiting for me. Sosoto and Rayult were waiting there as well. My two escorts had to help reinforce the castle, so they left me in Sosoto's care.

"We have to go," he said while stuffing my things into a saddlebag. "We should have some horses waiting for us." he finished, and hurried out the kitchen's back door that led outside. We jogged over to some hardy-looking horses and mounted. Captain Sosoto gave Rayult and I swords to strap to the saddle, while he attached my saddlebag to my horse's back. He hurried over to his own horse.

"Wait," I said, "where's my father?"

"We're meeting him at the bridge." Sosoto replied quickly. He was avoiding my eyes. "Come on, we must hurry," he said, and jammed his heels into his steed's sides. The horse lept forward. Rayult and I followed quickly behind.

The beat of the horses' hooves pounded down the cobblestone streets. The village was quiet at this hour. I knew it would be bustling with panic in a few minutes. The alarm sounded, warning the citizens of the approaching army. We were at the bridge when the first shouts were heard.

I looked around and didn't see my father. I stopped my horse. Sosoto and Rayult did likewise. "Where is he?" I asked.

"He's not here. We need to move on," Sosoto said.

"No," I said, "we're going to wait for him."

"We can't! There's no time! Let's go!"

"You go, I'm waiting."

"Don't be ridiculous! You're coming with us!"

"No," I argued, "we're not leaving without him!"

"We have to! There's no other option!"

"Yes, there is; we wait for him! He'll be here!" I shouted.

"No, he won't!" He yelled at me, "He's not coming! The assassin killed him! We need to go, NOW!"

No...He couldn't be dead. "What?" I whispered.

"He's dead. I'm sorry, but we have to get out of here!" No! No! _No!_

I couldn't move even If I wanted to. The captain growled in frustration, and smacked my horse, sending him charging forward. I barely stayed on its back as I was jolted back to reality. Sosoto was right. Grieve later, run now. But even so, the tears were pouring from my eyes. Inside my head, I was screaming to go back. He couldn't be gone. He just couldn't.

We couldn't see where we were going. We didn't see or hear the army of men to our right. Arrows flew out of the trees, but I was aware enough to block them with gusts of wind. Blood shock screamed through my veins.

I didn't see the arrow. If flew out of nowhere, straight for Sosoto's heart. I only saw the arrow's tip showing through his back. In the rush to get me to safety, he didn't put on his armor.

Sosoto slid off his horse and onto the ground, dead. The terrified horse started to slow at the loss of its rider like it had been trained. Rayult reached out and grabbed its reigns, pulling the horse alongside him. There were supplies on that horse that were too precious to lose.

There were no more arrows after the first volley. We had passed through the army, somewhat unscathed. We rode through the night, stopping only to water the horses and relieve ourselves. It wasn't until the following afternoon that we stopped and found a safe place to rest. It was then that the tragedy of my father's death truly struck. I slid to the ground in a crumpled heap and cried. I cried for my father, Sosoto, my lost kingdom, and all the elves that had died. Rayult came over and knelt next to me. He placed his arm around me, comforting me until, exhausted and shaken, I fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7 Loss

When I awoke the next morning, Rayult was already up and preparing breakfast. He had covered me with a blanket sometime during the night, and now had a small cooking fire going. The horses were unsaddled and grazing nearby. I sat up, and my entire body ached. Rayult looked up at me.

"Are you al-" I cut him off with a glare. He knew very well that I was not alright. "Hungry?" he corrected himself. I sighed and nodded. I hadn't eaten since supper two days ago. That was the last time I had seen my father. Tears welled up in my eyes. I didn't try to hide them. It didn't matter anymore.

Rayult scooped some soup out of a pot over a small fire. He had made enough to feed us both three times. We were famished, so we had no trouble finishing it. The soup was surprisingly good. I had half expected it to be thin and watered-down. It was made of potatoes, veal and some other various vegetables and spices. It was scalding hot, but I was so miserable and hungry, I hardly noticed when it burned my mouth and throat. When we were finished, Rayult took our bowls over to a stream that was a few yards away to wash them.

Hunger sated, I lay back on the grass and looked up at the clear morning sky. I wondered how it could be such a beautiful day when the despair I felt inside was so overwhelming I could barely breathe. I laid there for a few more minutes, then sat back up, ignoring the pain from my aching muscles. I stood up and looked in the general direction of the castle. Smoke was rising over the horizon. My heart filled with dread. I climbed a nearby pine tree that towered over the rest of the forest.

As far as we had ridden two nights ago, the castle was easily spotted. Rather, what was left of it.

What was once towers were now crumbling ruins. The castle was so destroyed that it looked as if a gust of wind would send it tumbling down. The walls that surrounded the village were flattened into rubble. The village itself was now a flaming heap. The ancient King's Oak had been chopped down and was now engulfed in flames. Rage flared through my body when I saw the humans celebrating my loss. I couldn't look at it anymore. I climbed down the pine to the ground below. Rayult had returned and was breaking camp.

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

He looked up at me. "I'm not sure. I figured your father's kingdom couldn't possibly be the only elfin civilization. So, we're going to find them."

I didn't care what we did at this point. "Did you see it?" I asked. He knew to what I was referring and nodded.

"I grew up there. I know how you feel. It's hard to see something so familiar and precious to you be torn up and burned." He paused and took a deep breath. "I also know how you feel about…your father. My parents died in a fire three years ago. I felt lost; like there was never going to be an end to my pain." I was crying again. Jerk. He walked over to me and wrapped me in his arms. I didn't care. I needed a hug.

"You know what? The pain _will_ go away. It will take some time, but I can promise you this," he looked into my eyes, "I will always be here for you. I will never let anything hurt you. Everything _will_ be okay." He stroked my hair while I cried. It didn't feel like everything would be okay. Ever again.


	8. Chapter 8 Wandering

After my psychotic breakdown, we finished packing up camp and set out to find a place where we could stay for a while. Since I had grabbed my bag of gold before I left, we had enough to last us for a month or so. If we ran out of money before we could find help, we had an extra horse to sell.

We didn't know where to go, so we started off down a road that led away from the castle. We also weren't sure if the people there would be elf-friendly, so luckily, our hair was long enough to cover our pointed ears.

There wasn't much conversation between us as the three horses plodded down the road. Since we weren't in such a mad rush, we took our time. If someone recognized us who had bad intentions, we needed the horses to be fresh.

The forest was quiet and lovely. I couldn't see anyone around so I decided to practice controlling the air. Ratos had said that wind could be used as a deadly weapon. I could understand if it was a good distraction, but as a _weapon_? I couldn't comprehend it.

I had only controlled the wind twice; when Rayult had helped me discover it, and when I was blocking arrows that were flying at us during our hasty retreat. Both of those times were by instinct, not will. I started by trying to shoot small gusts at some leaves that were on the ground. I shot my hand toward some leaves which stayed exactly where they were. I tried again, but still they remained stationary. Frustrated, I tried again. They showed a remarkable capability of not moving.

Rayult was watching me curiously, but he soon realized what I was doing and watched me practice. Then I realized something: I was trying to move the leaves, not the wind. I tried again, this time focusing on the wind. Still, the leaves did not move. I was mad now. I thrust my hand forward in anger, which released a powerful gust of wind which sent leaves flying in all directions. I laughed out loud. I shot a gust in Rayult's face. He flinched and laughed.

I spent most of an hour experimenting with my new power. I only stopped when someone came into view. It was the first person we had seen for a while, so we decided to stop to ask for directions. Before he came into earshot, Rayult whispered to me to be ready to draw my sword. He hailed the traveler and asked if there was a town nearby.

"Aye," he said, "thar's a small town roundabouts a mile up the road. Yer right close t' it. Shouldn't be that far." Rayult thanked him and tossed him a gold coin. The man smiled and said, "Thank'ee sir. At's right generous o' ye."

Rayult said nothing and allowed me to go ahead of him. I knew he still didn't trust the man, and for good reason: he was a human.

After the man left our sight, the village came into view. Rayult's horse trotted up next to mine. He was looking over the town, making sure it didn't look too suspicious. But then again, any town filled with humans would be suspicious. There wasn't an army camped outside of it, so he deemed it safe to proceed.

"Stay close to me," he said as we approached the entrance. The tavern was in sight right away, so there was no need to ask directions again. We led our horses around the back to the guest stables and paid the stable hand, then entered the tavern through the back door.

The tavern was fairly empty. It was lit with several windows and had some tables for the customers to sit at. The bar was to our right, and there was a staircase to our left that led upstairs to the rooms. Rayult grabbed my hand and led the way over to the bar.

We approached the bar where the bartender was talking to another customer. He was of medium build, and was somewhat handsome by human standards. His cropped brown hair stuck up in random directions, and he had clearly been drinking himself by the way he was leaning heavily on the counter and hiccupping. He was also ignoring us. Rayult cleared his throat to get the bartender's attention, but still we were ignored. It was only when Rayult took out his small bag of coins and set it on the bar that the man paid any attention to us.

"What'll ye have?" he asked.

"We need a room for a day, possibly longer. We have some business to take care of."

"Alright. I'll need yer name, and five gold pieces."

He handed him the gold, and quickly thought of a name. "I'm John Turk."

"Right Mr. Turk, yer room is upstairs, last door on the right." He handed him a key. "I'll be wantin' this back when your stay is over, otherwise it's another ten gold pieces."

Rayult thanked him, and led me out to the stables to get our saddlebags from the horses. After we retrieved them, we went back inside to check out our room. It was small, but open. There was a window on the wall across from the door. There was a roof under the window, which was convenient in case we had to make a quick getaway without being seen. The only problem was there was only one small bed in the room.

"Don't worry, I'll sleep on the floor," said Rayult.

"No, it's okay, you can-"

"Please, Princess Laeli," he interrupted, "I insist." He paused thoughtfully. "You'll have to go by a different name. Yours is of elfish origin, like mine, and enemies would instantly recognize it. I'm sorry, but you'll have to pick another name to go by until we are among friends."

I thought for a minute. I didn't know very many humans, and I trusted even less of them. Giving an elf a human name was considered an insult, so I resented having to choose one for myself. But if I was going to survive, I had to do whatever was necessary.

"Rebecca. Rebecca… Flynn." I was proud of my choice. I thought it sounded decent.

Rayult nodded his head in approval. "I mean no offense, but when in public, I probably shouldn't refer to you as 'princess' or 'your highness.' People would suspect something." Great. More limitations to make me feel even more worthless.

I sat down on the bed and looked out the window. It was well into the afternoon by now.

"So…" I said, "when's lunch?" Rayult just laughed and lead the way downstairs to eat. There were a few more people downstairs now that it was time for lunch. I sat down at an empty table in the corner while Rayult went to get us some food. As I observed the people around me, I realized humans didn't have the same physique like elves did. They were skinny, fat, short, and tall. Even some of the women were overweight. Their rounded ears looked unusual to me. I also noticed how much Rayult and I didn't fit in. They were loud and boisterous; we kept to ourselves. They smiled and greeted each other; we didn't trust any of them. Some of them had blemishes on their faces; our faces were flawless.

What were we doing here? We shouldn't be near these… _humans. _We should be out looking for more of our kind. I needed to calm down. If I started freaking out, people would be sure to notice. Rayult returned with two plates full of beef that had been roasted on a spit.

"Eat up," he said. "This may be the nicest meal we eat for a while." I didn't think his cooking was that bad, but I kept it to myself.

The beef was moist and delicious. It had just the right amount of spices, and had been cooked to perfection. It was so perfect that it just fell apart in my mouth. I could see what he meant by the nicest meal, so I savored every bite. Not a word passed between us as we ate. It was just that good. I have to admit, I was kind of sad when I ran out.

"Don't look, but there's a man in the corner who hasn't stopped staring at us since we sat down." I didn't look and took his word for it. The bartender walked by just then. Rayult stopped him.

"Who's the man over there sitting in the corner?" inquired Rayult.

"Hmm…lemme see." The bartender looked over at the man, "Oh, that's just Ratos. He's an elf who recently rented a room here. He won't hurt ye none."


	9. Chapter 9 Ratos

I turned around instantly. A look of recognition crossed Ratos' face. He beckoned to us, and we quickly walked over. Rayult started to speak, but Ratos stopped him.

"Not here," he said, "Come, we'll go to my room. We can speak freely there."

He led the way up the stairs to the bedrooms. He used his key to unlock a door and entered. His room had two beds instead of one. I decided I would ask him if he would be willing to swap rooms later.

"I was just eating lunch when I saw you two across the room. I knew I had seen you somewhere." he explained. As he talked, he closed his window to prevent anyone from eavesdropping on us. Ratos sat down in a chair and looked at us, clearly overjoyed.

"I thought you were dead. I got scared and fled here. I've never ran from a fight, but judging by the size of the Republic's army, I knew we didn't stand a chance. I barely made it out myself. The army was already at the city gates by the time I decided to go the long way around Stone Lake. I knew there where this town was, so I didn't stop running until I arrived. What happened to you two anyways? And where is Sosoto?"

"Sosoto was killed." said Rayult.

"What? Tell me what happened."

"In our haste to leave, we passed straight through the enemy army, luckily it was only a small group, or we would all be dead. There were arrows coming from everywhere, I don't know how we didn't get killed ourselves. But somehow one hit Sosoto." He continued recounting the events of the past two days to Ratos. He stopped at the point when he had first spotted Ratos staring at us downstairs.

So Rayult hadn't figured it out that I was blocking the arrows? I didn't know if I should tell him or not, because I wasn't sure if he would blame me for Sosoto's death. Like I did.

"Well," said Ratos, "That is quite a tale. But I guess finding you means I can teach you about using the air to kill." These words were, of course, directed at me.

"We'll have to do that later," said Rayult, "we need to plan. I don't know if there are any elves left, and we need help. The Western Republic has been around for too long. They have pushed our kind to the brink of extinction. We need to exact our revenge before they wipe us out entirely."

"I agree," said Ratos, "What they did to King Oenthe is unforgivable. Now that you mention it, there are two elfin societies that can help us. In fact, there are several smaller villages, and two castles that are populated solely by elves. Shadowmoor is the castle to the east that belongs to King Xarin, and the castle to the north, Snowviolet, belongs to King Ariz."

I was relieved. I myself had never heard of the existence of other elves. Maybe with their help, we could avenge my father's death.

"Would they be willing to fight?" I asked.

"There's no way to tell," said Ratos, "but once they learn of your father's fate, they should be more than willing to crush the Republic. King Xarin's elves are more attuned to the use of magic, and Ariz employs the use of dragons. I'll go to the east and try to convince Xarin. His castle is protected by magic, and is by far most dangerous to access. You two will go to the north. Don't worry about the dragons, the elves who ride them will make sure you mean no harm before attacking." Oh, perfect. The mindless, bloodthirsty brutes wouldn't hurt us. That made me feel _so_ much better.


	10. Chapter 10 Wanted

It was a week's worth of traveling by horseback to Ariz's castle, and a week and a half to Xarin's. Since we had an extra horse, we gave it to Ratos to ride. We decided to leave tomorrow after breakfast so we could spend the day gathering supplies. It had been well over three hours since we had first seen Ratos at lunch, so the tavern was pretty much cleared out when we made our way downstairs. We left the tavern to get food, blankets, and other various necessities we would need on the road.

Rayult had left his bow and quiver of arrows back at Castle Myricana's barracks, so he went to the armorer to get more arrows and a bow. Ratos needed new boots, so he went to see the clothier. I decided to go get our swords and have the smith sharpen them. The swords weren't very dull to begin with, so it only took a few minutes. I paid the smith and returned to the tavern to drop off the swords. After that was finished, I had nothing else to do, so I decided to walk around town for a while.

As I wandered the dusty streets, I came across the jail. I paused to look at the wall that was filled with wanted posters. The majority of the wanted criminals had the cliché outlaw look; ruffled hair, stubbly cheeks, missing teeth, crooked noses, etc.. Only a handful of them looked somewhat normal. There were only two women on the wall. I looked at one of them. She was wanted for thievery and murder. As I looked at her picture, I thought she looked like she wasn't the sort of person to murder anyone. I studied the other woman's picture and froze.

It was me. I didn't have time to look at my crimes because just then a nearby human recognized me.

"Hey!" he said, "Tha's the wanted lady in the picture!" I said nothing and ran. When he pursued me, I pulled some air out of his lungs using my powers. I didn't kill him, but it was just enough to leave him doubled over, gasping for air. I saw the armorer up ahead and ran inside. Rayult was inspecting a bow and stopped when he saw me.

"Ray, we gotta go. I'll explain later." Rayult paid the store owner for the bow and arrows and followed me to the tavern. We ran up the stairs and grabbed our belongings. There was no reason to drag Ratos into this, so I left a note telling him about the poster and that we had to leave.

We bolted down the stairs and outside to the stables. The horses were eating and unsaddled. The stable hand stopped us.

"Yer a wanted criminal. I'm not lettin' ye go anywhere." Rayult just smiled and the hay beneath the boy's feet burst into flames. The stable hand shrieked and ran away.

We ran into the tack room and grabbed our saddles and bridles. We quickly saddled two of the horses and mounted. Rayult led the way out of the stables and into the street. There was a man standing in the way of the gate that led out of the town. It was the man who identified me. I charged toward him and stunned him again by pulling a small portion of the air out of his lungs. We rode by him unhindered.

Rayult and I spent the rest of the day running away from the town. We frequently looked behind us for any signs of pursuit, but no one followed us. It was starting to get dark, so we decided to look for a safe spot to stay for the night. We eventually found a clearing a little ways of the path that was protected on all sides by thorn bushes. There was only one small path that led inside. It was obvious that many people had spent the night here. A fire pit had already been dug and there were patches of dead grass where people had slept.

We tied the horses to a low-hanging branch, and went to get firewood. Since Ratos was supposed to visit the butcher before we were supposed to leave the next morning, we had no meat, leaving us to fend for ourselves. I volunteered to hunt for meat while Rayult started the fire.

It didn't take me long to find a hole full of rabbits. We only needed two but I knew that hunting wouldn't always be this easy, so I decided to kill all four. I felt bad doing it, but I had no other means of killing them but by suffocation. I pulled the rabbits out of their hole and carried them back to camp.

Rayult took two of the rabbits and skinned them while I tied the other two together and strung them from a tree so they wouldn't draw animals. While Rayult was working, I unsaddled the horses so they could cool off. I grabbed a brush from a saddle bag and began to brush the dust of their hides.

I had only watched someone brush a horse once before. It's one thing to watch someone do it and do it for yourself. I was doing something wrong. I knew you had to go with the hair, not against it, but the dirt still stayed where it was on the horse's flank.

Suddenly, Rayult was behind me. He placed his hand over mine and showed me how to brush it correctly. I had been doing long strokes when I needed to do short, sweeping motions. That worked much better.

I looked at him and smiled. "Thanks," I said.

"No problem," he said and returned to preparing dinner.

I worked on the horses until they were practically spotless. I inspected my work, satisfied. Brushing the horses left my hands dirty, so I washed the dirt off using the water from a canteen.

I couldn't find much else to do, so I sat in the sun and ate my supper. Rayult came to sit next to me.

"So," he said, "what happened that we had to leave town in such a hurry?"

"I didn't know what to do while I waited for you and Ratos to finish your errands, so I went for a walk around town. I passed by the jail and there was a wanted sign for my arrest. I would have come to find you in less of a hurry, but someone recognized me." I stopped to chew, then continued, "I just want to know who did this? I've never met any humans, so it would have had to have been an elf. It just doesn't make any sense."

Rayult ate in silence for a minute. Then said, "Well, this complicates things."


	11. Chapter 11 Fear

I was in the garden with my mother. The castle was still in one piece as if the Republic had never existed. We walked over to the fountain and sat down to look at the fish that lived in the water. A man cloaked in black climbed over the garden wall and ran toward us, drawing his knife. My mother pushed me toward the castle, screaming at me to run, but I was frozen in place. The man lunged at my mother, and stabbed her once…twice…three times. The man ran away, but I didn't care. I sprinted toward my mother who lay face down on the ground. I knelt down next to her and rolled her over. I looked at her dead face only to discover that it was my father. I screamed and woke up, realizing that I was still screaming.

Rayult got up and ran over to me. I was still screaming for my father when he put his hand over my mouth, trying to shush me. I stopped shouting, and was now sobbing. Rayult removed his hand from my mouth and wrapped me in his arms. I buried my face in his chest. My tears soaked his shirt.

My sobs eventually quieted to whimpers and he asked me if I would feel better if he slept next to me. I nodded. He got up to get his bedroll and placed it next to mine. I lay back and tried to sleep. Rayult wrapped one arm around me and used the other as a pillow. I was soon sleeping again.

When I awoke again, it was still dark. Rayult was still next me, but he was sitting up. He was alert and looking around. I sat up too.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"Heard something," he replied.

A stick snapped, and we both looked in the general direction of the sound. Rayult put the fire out.

"Stay down," he instructed me, and stood up. He walked over to the path that led out of the clearing in the brambles, but was thrown to the ground when a soldier burst from the entrance and tackled him. A second entered the clearing and started attacking Rayult as well. Neither of them had seen me.

I sat there, frozen with fear. I couldn't even make a noise. I realized they were from the Western Republic. Anger swelled up in my chest. These men were responsible for the death of my father, Sosoto, and countless elves. Suddenly, pain flared through my bones. I screamed. The soldiers stopped their attack and looked at me, doubled over, and shrieking in pain. I felt like I was going to explode. My rage mingled with the fear of what was happening to me. Even blood shock wouldn't help me now.

I started trembling, and my skin exploded outward. Suddenly, I was on all fours, roaring with fury. I pounced on the closest soldier. My claws shredded his face, leaving him bloody and limp. The other soldier still hadn't moved. He was shocked at my sudden transformation. I tackled him to the ground, and ripped him apart.

Both of the guards lay dead on the ground. I looked over at Rayult. He had a bloody nose, with no other obvious injuries. He just stared at me, shocked into silence, then smiled.

"Well, Princess Laeli," he said, "I think that was a little overkill, but whatever works for you. You may want to look at yourself."

He got up from the ground and walked over to a bloody soldier and removed his breastplate. He held it up so I could look at myself in its reflective surface. So I had inherited one of my parent's powers after all. My reflection was distorted, but I could still see the panther that was now me.


	12. Chapter 12 Moving On

I now saw what Sosoto meant by phasing in and out of your alter came naturally after the first time. It was also less painful. One thing he didn't warn me about was that shape shifting tore your clothes apart. Rayult turned around while I put on my clothes. I only had one other outfit to wear, then we would have to go into a town to get more, which was something neither of us wanted to do.

Even though it was still dark, we had to leave. Rayult saddled the horses while I packed our bags. We raided the bodies of their gold and left them where they were. We had nothing to bury them with. We strapped our saddlebags to the horses' backs, grabbed the rabbits out of the tree, and set out.

As we rode, a thought came to me. Rayult hadn't shifted to his alternate form when he was attacked. I asked him about it.

"I was starting to shift, but then I heard you scream, and I knew what was happening, so I stopped. I didn't want to interrupt you," he explained. "Did you see the look on the soldiers' faces? They couldn't believe what was happening." We laughed as we rode.

"I don't think I know what you can change into," I said.

"I also change into a big cat, but it's not a panther. My alternate form is a cougar. I'm quite proud of it, too, although the hairballs are hell." I stared at him, wide-eyed. He just laughed and said, "I'm just kidding. No hairballs, so don't worry."

We rode in silence for a while. My thoughts wandered to when I woke up from my nightmare, screaming. I was sure that was what had drawn the soldiers. I felt terrible.

"Rayult?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry that those soldiers came. It was my fault, and I shouldn't have screamed like I did," I started crying. Again. I blabbed on about how I was such an idiot while Rayult turned his horse around and stopped next to me. He put a finger on my lips to silence me.

"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't help but scream, and it's okay. I'm okay. They barely scratched me. You did nothing wrong, understand?" I nodded. He wiped the tears off my cheeks with his finger. He turned his horse back around and started forward again while I rode next to him. "When my parents died, I had nightmares too. I understand how you feel. There's no need to feel guilty."

I thought about the night when we were fleeing from the castle. I still felt responsible for Sosoto's death. I wanted to tell Rayult, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees. When I opened my eyes, Rayult was looking at me, concerned.

"There's something else you want to tell me." It wasn't a question.

I sighed. "Yeah." he waited for me to go on. Better now than never, I thought to myself. "The night we were running from the Republic, you remember how none of the arrows hit us?" He nodded. "I was using the wind to stop them." I paused and took a deep breath. Here we go. "I… well, I… I never saw the arrow that killed Sosoto. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid that you would be angry with me, that you would blame me for it like I do."

"Angry?" he said, shocked. "Why would I be angry? You shouldn't blame yourself. It was an accident. The only reason why I would be angry is because some coward killed him, and I am, but not at you. In fact, I'm grateful that you blocked those arrows. If you hadn't, we would probably be dead." I smiled at him. He smiled back and said nothing.

I felt better. I looked up at the sky. It was starting to turn light again. Up ahead, the sky was turning pink, although the sun wasn't yet visible.

I removed a chunk of bread from my saddlebag. It was stale, but edible. The cheese seemed edible, too. I ripped the loaf of bread in half and handed a piece to Rayult, along with a hunk of cheese. He thanked me and ate his breakfast.

Soon we came upon a fork in the road. We immediately realized this was the road at which Ratos would have split off to go east. A signpost pointed in the direction of where we wanted to go. I looked closely at it and dismounted. As I approached the sign, it became more apparent that there was a note hidden on the post. I removed it from its spot and opened it. It said:

Dear R & L

If you find this, know that I am safe. I have begun my journey east and hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Rat

P.S.- I got your message. Best of luck.

When I was finished reading, I handed the note to Rayult. After he read it he said, "Well, at least we know he wasn't dragged into our affairs." I nodded and mounted the horse again. We set off toward King Ariz's castle, hoping that our fellow elves would assist us.


	13. Chapter 13 Swimming

"I need a bath" I said suddenly. We had been riding for several hours now, and the dust from the road didn't help the fact that I hadn't bathed in almost a week.

"So do I," said Rayult, "We've been going downhill for a while now, so hopefully we should see a river sometime soon." It wasn't very steep, but once he pointed it out, I noticed there was a slight downward slope. I also noticed that we had, in fact, been going downhill for about an hour.

Soon we heard the sound of rushing water. The path we were on led straight toward a large stone bridge that towered over a wide gorge, and the unseen river below.

The sun was high over our heads and my stomach rumbled in complaint of being empty. We rode off the path and headed downstream to find a place where we could easily get to the river and start a fire for our lunch without being seen.

A bowshot away from the bridge, a waterfall had formed, causing the water to plummet into a deep pool. The pool was surrounded by a rocky bank that made it easy to access. Luckily, the hill that led from where we were at top of the waterfall to the bottom wasn't very steep.

The scenery around us was so breathtaking that I barely heard Rayult say "Race ya."

I hadn't realized what he said until his horse bolted off toward the gravely beach. I dug my heels into my horse's sides and took off after him. My horse thundered down the hill, but Rayult had had a head start, and was far ahead of me now.

He was already unsaddling the horse by the time I arrived. I dismounted and began untying the girth strap from the saddle. I slid the heavy leather saddle off its back and laid it on the ground. I led the horse over to the river to get a drink. Rayult was already there.

"It's beautiful here," said Rayult as I approached.

"It is," I agreed. I sat down on a rock and took off my shoes, and let my feet soak in the cool, clear water. The sound of the nearby waterfall reminded me of the fountain in the garden back home. Tears welled up in my eyes and I blinked them away, but one escaped and rolled down my face. I wiped it away with my hand.

The horses finished drinking and Rayult led them away to tie them up. When he came back, I realized he had taken off his shirt.

"Come on," he said, "let's go for a swim." I got up but hesitated when he started walking up the hill towards the top of the waterfall. He looked back at me. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"The river is that way," I said, pointing in the right direction.

He laughed and said, "Yes, I know, but we're going cliff diving." He gestured toward a rock that jutted out about fifty feet above the pool at the waterfall's base. He laughed again at the expression on my face. "Come on," he said, "it'll be fun." I was still unsure, but I trusted him.

He grabbed my hand and led me up the hill. The roaring of the waterfall got louder as we got closer. Rayult let go of my hand when we reached the rock and stepped out toward the ledge.

"Wait!" I shouted over the noise of the waterfall, "How do we know if it's deep enough? We could get killed if there was a rock in the way!"

"I had cousins who would come here all the time. When I found out we would be coming this way, I made plans to stop here. They told me this place was perfect for diving. We'll be alright." I was about to protest, but he jumped over the side and into the deep pool below. Even over the waterfall's roar, I heard a splash. I peered over the edge and saw Rayult's head bob up a few seconds later. He cleared the water from his face and beckoned me to jump. I was so scared I was shaking. My blood shock kicked in, helping me to calm down a little. I took a few steps back and breathed deeply. I eventually got my nerve up and ran forward, leaping over the edge.

At first, the freefall was terrifying, then it was exhilarating. I felt like I was flying and screamed with delight. I looked down, and saw the water below. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the impact. When it came, I plunged deep into the chilly water. My feet grazed the bottom of the pool, and I kicked off. I fought my way to the surface and took a gasping breath when I reached it. I wiped the water from my face and looked for Rayult. He was a few feet away, smiling at me. I grinned and started swimming toward the bank to go jump again.

We swam for a few more hours, then we decided to get dry and eat lunch. I was already weak with hunger, but that wouldn't speed up the cooking, so I decided to get my bath while Rayult cooked.

Thankfully, someone remembered to put a bar of soap in one of the saddlebags. I grabbed the soap and some dry clothes and set off toward the waterfall again.

I reached a spot where camp was out of sight and set my dry clothes down on a log. I stripped of my wet clothes and laid them out to dry in the sun. I grabbed the bar of soap and jumped in the water. I quickly scrubbed all over with the soap and rubbed it in my hair. I plunged under the water to rinse off, and when I emerged, there was a man standing on the bank. It was a soldier from the Western Republic.

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	14. Chapter 14 Surprise

I glared at the soldier. He glanced at my pointed ears, and his face filled with rage. He lifted his arm, and I heard a peculiar noise. I looked around and saw three soldiers with bows trained on me. I turned my attention to what I assumed was the commanding soldier.

"Prepare to die, demon," he said. I just smiled and unleashed a powerful gust of wind that knocked all four soldiers off their feet. I morphed to my panther form and swam quickly to shore, intent on ripping his throat out.

When my feet finally touched the bottom of the pool, I started leaping out of the water, advancing on the soldier. He was still frantically trying to get up when I tackled him to the ground. I swatted powerfully at his face, splitting it wide open. That was when the first arrow hit.

One of the soldiers had gotten back up and shot me in the leg. I roared in pain when the arrow plunged deep into my back left leg. I ignored it and continued mutilating their commander.

When the man lay dead, I turned on the nearest soldier. I charged at him and plowed through his legs, sending him to the ground. I turned around and dug my teeth into his throat, cutting off his air supply. My claws dug into his back, and he gurgled a scream.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a large tan mass tackle a soldier to the ground. I didn't wonder at it, because the soldier I had trapped was attempting to draw his knife. I pinned his arm to the ground using my unhurt back leg. Another arrow pierced my side, but I did not relinquish my prey. I snarled in pain and clenched my teeth tighter.

I couldn't wait for the soldier to suffocate to death, so I ended it with a jerk of my head. I looked up just as the last remaining soldier shot me with a third arrow that hit my right shoulder, knocking me to the ground. The tan thing pinned the soldier to the ground. I identified it as a cougar. It was Rayult. He growled and snarled as he finished off the soldier.

The world around me spun, and I lost consciousness.

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	15. Chapter 15 Healing

When I regained consciousness, my head felt like it had been split in half and my sides throbbed. I sighed and flinched when the motion sent pain lancing through my body.

I heard Rayult get up and tried to turn my head, but stopped when my aching shoulder protested. Rayult walked over to me and knelt down. I hadn't noticed I was covered by a blanked until he lifted it up to look at my wounds. His expression told me it was bad.

"You lost a lot of blood," he said, "but you'll be alright as long as infection doesn't set in," he put the blanket back, "You shouldn't transform back until you're on the mend. It'll give the muscles a chance to heal properly." I started to respond, but I realized I was still a panther and couldn't speak.

I closed my eyes. He patted my head and said, "You rest, I'll take care of you." I didn't hear what he said after that because I was already sleeping.

I woke again the next morning when Rayult changed my bandages. It stung a little when he applied a poultice, but only for a second. When he finished, he walked over to the river to wash his hands and clean the bandages.

I was still awake when he returned. He put the bandages in a pot of boiling water and got some soup out of a different pot.

"Hungry?" he asked me. I couldn't respond, so I didn't. "I didn't think so, but I thought it was polite to ask." I rolled my eyes. He chuckled and came over to sit next to me. I put my head on his lap and fell back asleep.

The next time I woke up, the moon was high overhead. I still wasn't hungry, but I was very, _very_ thirsty. Rayult apparently hadn't moved, except my head was now on his chest. He was asleep.

Trying not to disturb him, I tried to get up, but stopped when my hurt body protested. Rayult was still sleeping soundly. I hated to wake him up, but I was entirely dependant on him.

I lifted my head and nudged his side. It took a couple more tries to get him to wake up. Finally, he slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Need something?" he asked. Sleepiness was heavy in his voice. I just looked over at the river in response. "Thirsty, eh?" he slowly got up, "I'll be right back." he walked over to his bag and got out his canteen. He came back and sat down in front of me. He held the canteen to my mouth. I drank the entire canteen of water, and ended up drinking two more from the river.

After I finished, Rayult filled the canteen just in case I got thirsty again. He put the filled canteen next to him on the ground and lay back down to sleep. I placed my head back on his chest and he put his arm over my neck, careful to avoid my hurt shoulder.

I didn't fall asleep immediately. I just lay quietly, listening to Rayult's even breathing and the sound of an owl that was far off in the forest. The steady rise and fall of Rayult's chest eventually sent me to sleep.

When I woke up again, the headache had returned. I felt feverish and weak. The place where the arrow had punctured my leg felt especially sore. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the bright fire Rayult had made to go away.

I shivered at the cold sensation deep in my bones and growled at the twinge in my muscles. Rayult stirred at my movement and sat up. He looked at my pained expression and a look of concern crossed his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked frantically. I slowly shook my head. He lifted the blanket to look at my wounds and I shivered as the cool night air hit my side. I heard Rayult swear under his breath and knew it wasn't good.

"Your leg's infected," he said and quickly set the blanket back down. He covered his face with one of his hands while he thought. "I can't treat you unless you shift back," he mumbled, "You're not ready, but you'll most likely die if you don't," he looked at me, "It's going to hurt. A lot. I'm sorry. Do you think you can dress yourself?" I shrugged and ignored the sting in my shoulder. He didn't say anything and set some of my clothes down next to where I was laying, then walked away and leaned against a nearby tree with his back to me.

I took a deep breath and counted in my head, _1...2...3._ I screamed when my body phased, ripping the wounds wide open. I lost consciousness for a moment as my mind tried to shield my body from the searing pain that clouded all of my senses. I could see it, taste it, smell its bitter aroma, it ringed in my ears.

Rayult still hadn't moved, and I remembered to get my clothes on. I reached for my shirt and slid it on as I tried not to throw up. I somehow got to my pants and slipped on the right leg. I arched my back and lifted my left leg to get the other pant leg on. Blood poured from my wounds and soaked my clothes.

"Ray," I gasped. He by my side within seconds, ripping the sleeve off my shirt to get to my shoulder. He packed on some bandages and moved to the wound at my side. He used his knife to rip a hole in my shirt and bandaged that up as well. Finally, he tore open my pant leg just enough so he could get to the infected area of my leg. He put some bandages on and ran off to get something.

I lost consciousness again, but this time, I didn't wake back up.

"Laeli?" I heard Rayult saying my name, but I couldn't make anything work. My limbs and eyes had left my control. Slowly, I felt them start to respond again. My head started to bloom with a feverish ache, as did the rest of my body. I opened my weary eyes and shut them again when blinding light hit them. It took me a second to realize it was the moon.

"It hurts," I mumbled. I heard Rayult sigh with relief.

"I know," he said quietly, "I thought you'd died. I just had to be sure. You can sleep now if you can," I just nodded and allowed myself to drift off to sleep.

I had a high fever through the next day. I could have sworn I saw my mother standing next to me. I even talked to her. My father appeared for a while, walking along the river. I saw many other people in my delusions, including Sosoto. I even saw Rayult, riding away from me and I shouted at him to come back, then I realized he was still sitting right next to me.

Periodically, I would feel the cool wetness of a cloth wiping my forehead. Rayult had to lance my wound to get the infection out, but I barely noticed what he was doing in my feverish state. He even had to burn it shut and I didn't even flinch.

I was constantly dozing and waking up. I never could get fully asleep when I was this sick. There was a moment when I was aware enough to notice the dark circles under Rayult's eyes. He had been losing sleep caring for me.

"You should sleep for a while," I told him.

"No, not until your fever breaks," he said wearily. I didn't argue and closed my eyes again.

It was about midday when I woke again. I was drenched in sweat and my headache was mostly gone. I looked around for Rayult, and saw him a few feet away, gathering firewood. I stretched and flexed my muscles. It stung a little, but I could deal with it. I felt hungry now, which was a good sign.

"Feeling better, are we?" asked Rayult as he approached. He raised the blanket to look at my side. He looked under the bandages one by one, looking satisfied. "No more infection, but we should wait maybe another day until we set out," he put the blanket back and felt my forehead, "Fever's gone. How are you feeling?"

"I still can't stand up," I replied, "but at least I'm hungry now."

"Well," he scratched his head, "I have some soup left over from last night, if you're willing to eat it. Would you like me to warm it up?"

Even stale bread crumbs sounded like a feast right about now. "Yes, please." The logs on the fire burst into flame a few seconds later, and Rayult put a pot on the fire.

While the soup was warming, I looked around. I hadn't been able to look around since I got hurt. Everything was pretty much the same, but something was missing. It took me a minute to figure it out.

"Ray? Where are the horses?"

He sighed and shook his head. "The soldiers took them. Well, at least one of them did. When I returned to camp with you, I saw one of them riding one horse and leading the other. I didn't want to leave you alone, so I didn't chase him. It's an unfortunate loss, but we'll be alright." he put some soup in a bowl and handed it to me. "What happened? I would have asked earlier, but you were resting." It took me a second to recount the events that seemed like years ago.

"I was just taking a bath, and suddenly, I was surrounded. I knocked them all down with a gust of wind and attacked. I thought I was going to die."

Rayult sat down nest to me with his own bowl of soup. "For a minute, I did, too. When I heard you roar, I knew there was trouble, so I took off for the falls." He paused to eat, then laughed at himself, "I ruined a set of my clothes. But you're worth it," he nudged me with his elbow. I just smiled and gulped down my soup. "I was amazed that the arrow that hit your side didn't go in very deep. It didn't touch anything vital." I nodded thoughtfully.

"So, how are we going to get around with no horses? It's much too far to walk," I pointed out. Rayult took my bowl when I finished. He stood up and took a deep breath.

"That's why I wanted to wait another day. We're going to run. At least until we find horses. It's risky to wait, but I don't want you getting hurt again. We've already been here far too long, and we should have moved on days ago. Ratos is sure to have reached King Xarin by now."

Jeez. Could things get any worse? Just then, thunder rumbled in the distance, and I knew my answer: Yes. Yes, it could.

**I'm making a pouty face and asking you to review. Trust me, the sad puppy eyes are hard to ignore.**


	16. Chapter 16 The Storm

Oddly, the only place where we would be safe from the storm was next to the waterfall. The rocks that jutted out overhead provided some measure of protection. The mist from the waterfall couldn't reach us here, so we would stay somewhat dry.

I was confident I could walk by myself, but Rayult insisted he lend me a hand. After he helped me over to the shelter, he left me sitting on a rock while he went back to get our stuff. This was the first time I had been back here since the attack. Rayult had buried the bodies in the woods while I was asleep. But the evidence of the battle was still here. There was dried blood on the ground. Blood that I had spilt. I felt nauseated at the thought that I had actually _killed_ someone. I shuddered and banished the thought from my mind.

The sky was getting darker as the storm approached, and the thunder came more rapidly. The first few drops of rain began to fall when Rayult returned, laden with our possessions. He laid it all down with a grunt and spread out my bedroll.

He started to help me over to it, but I stopped him, "I've been lying on that thing for three days! I'm going to sit here for a while."

Rayult sighed and shook his head. "You need to be laying down-"

"I'm fine," I said through my teeth.

"If we're going to leave soon, you'll need your strength. Lay down. We'll be moving soon enough." he moved to help me again, but I glared at him.

"No," I retorted, anger swelling up in my chest. I could see the days of taking care of me had worn on his patience, too.

He took a deep breath, trying not to yell at me, "Don't argue with me. I know you want to get up, but-"

"But nothing! I'm tired of lying down!" I stood up to prove my point. My leg felt fine. "See? I'm fine. You've healed me. Bravo. You can quit playing doctor now." We stood there for what seemed like hours until he turned and stalked out into the rain. "Where are you going?" He didn't answer. I followed him out into the pouring rain. "Ray? Wait a sec." He continued walking. I sprinted forward and slid to a stop right in front of him. He tried to go around me, but I stopped him.

"I'm sorry, Ray, I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's just that I've been stuck lying around for three days now. You know as well as I that elves need to move around." He closed his eyes and nodded. I hugged him tightly. "Thank you for helping me. I would be dead if it wasn't for you."

He hugged me back and said, "It was my pleasure."

Lightning lanced across the sky, and thunder boomed loudly, and I jumped at the sound. The wind picked up, causing the trees to sway wildly.

"Come on," said Rayult, and grabbed my hand. He led the way as we ran back to our shelter.

When we got back, we sat on a large, flat rock and watched the rain. Neither of us had any dry clothes to change into, so we were both shivering from the cold. Even with a warm, dry blanket over my shoulders, my body still convulsed with the cold.

"We would be much warmer if we switched over to our alternates," said Rayult. His voice was distorted by his chattering teeth. I nodded and gave him the blanket and got up to change.

He was right; I was much warmer after I switched. I walked over and lay down next to Rayult who was now a cougar. I put my head on my paws and listened to the sound of the steady falling rain. Rayult lay down as well, but he kept his head up.

_Feeling warmer?_ My head shot up. Who had said that? It couldn't have been Rayult, since we couldn't speak while in animal form. Plus, the voice had come from _inside_ my head. I looked around, alert.

_What's wrong? _The voice asked. I recognized the voice as Rayult's, yet it was clear in my head. I looked at him. He was staring back at me, question in his eyes.

_Rayult?_ I thought.

_Uh… yeah. _I was startled at the response.

_You can… hear my thoughts. _It wasn't a question.

_Yeah. _He paused and looked at me, confused. _You didn't know that? _I shook my head, dazed. _Sosoto must have forgotten to mention it. When elves are in their alternate form, they can communicate in their minds, but only if they are close enough, and they must be in animal form. An elf and an animal elf cannot communicate._

I considered this for a minute. _That's cool. _He nodded and I lay my head back down. The sound of the waterfall and the smell of rain was very relaxing, and I was starting to fall asleep when a clap of thunder roused me.

I opened my eyes lazily and looked around. The sky was getting lighter as the clouds cleared off, and the rain was only a drizzle. I stood up and yawned, stretching as I did so.

_When should we leave? _I asked.

Rayult had been dozing too, and opened his weary eyes. _I don't see why we should delay. _He said as he stood up. He looked back at our stuff. _We can't carry much with us, so we'll have to leave some of it behind. Let's change back and see what we can get._

I hated changing back into my damp clothes, but they were all I had left. After we were dressed, we separated our stuff into two piles: things we needed, and things we could go without.

We agreed we needed our weapons, blankets, money, our leather armor, and food. Everything else we could either get on the way as we needed it, or was just a luxury that took up room.

We put our belongings into packs that we would carry on our backs. I laced my boots tightly and walked to the edge of the shelter. I looked back at Rayult who was still tying his boots.

Outside, a rainbow arced across the sky. The smell of freshly fallen rain roused my senses. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes. Rayult walked up and placed his hand on my shoulder. Wordlessly, we started forward.

We walked up the hill toward the stone bridge, stretching our legs for the long run we had ahead of us. We elves can run for hours and still be ready for a fight.

As we approached the bridge, I took a deep breath and started jogging. Rayult did likewise. Finally, after four long days, we were off again.


	17. Chapter 17 The Chase

We had been running for about an hour and a half when Rayult inhaled sharply and fell. I skidded to a stop and looked back at him. He was sitting on the ground, clutching his right leg.

"Charlie horse," he grunted. I laughed and waited while he stretched and massaged his cramped muscle.

"It's a little stiff," he said when he got up several minutes later, "Maybe we should walk for a while." He took a few steps. I noticed he was favoring his leg a little.

"Maybe we should stop-" I suggested, but Rayult cut me off.

"No. We're behind already, and we can't afford to stop for more than a few minutes. We've lingered here too long already." I nodded and started walking without argument.

Our slower pace allowed me to look around a little more. We had left the woods behind us about ten minutes after we had crossed the stone bridge and were now in the middle of a wide open plain. Occasionally, the wind would blow dust in our eyes and I would counter the gusts with my powers. It was getting close to lunch time, and the hot sun beat down on us from high overhead. We weren't even winded, yet sweat plastered my hair to my face and neck.

I took out my canteen and drank a couple gulps and passed it to Rayult. He drank some as well and thanked me as he handed it back.

As I turned around to put my canteen back in my pack, I noticed some odd shapes behind us. Even with vision that is far superior to an eagle's, I couldn't tell what it was.

"Ray? What's that behind us?" He turned and squinted, trying to make them out. A puzzled look crossed his face.

"Not sure." He continued to squint, "It looks like… four, maybe five people on horses. They're coming fast."

"Should we run?"

"No," he replied, "It would seem suspicious seeing two elves running from nothing," he turned away from them, "Cover your ears. If they're hostile to elves, maybe they'll think we're humans traveling to the village up ahead." I hadn't seen any village yet, so I looked up ahead of us. I could barely see the smoke and buildings over the horizon.

I ran my fingers through my hair to cover my ears. Then I realized we had our swords in plain sight, which would be even more suspicious to the riders behind us.

"Rayult, hide your sword." He immediately removed his sword from his belt and strapped it underneath his pack so it was out of sight, but within reach should he need it. I also hid my sword under my pack.

As I turned to look at them again, I could easily see the Western Republic crest on their shields. I could also see that there were ten of them.

"Will you _stop staring at them?"_ Rayult whispered harshly.

"But, Rayult-"

"Shush!"

I glared at him and continued, "Ray, they're riding our horses!"

"_What?"_ He peered over his shoulder. "They're trying to make us come to them," he faced forward again, "Just appear indifferent, and for god's sake, _don't stare at them!_ Just avert your eyes." I did as he said and fumed silently to myself.

I could hear them behind us now. They were probably half a bowshot away and closing the distance fast on their cantering horses. We edged our way to the side of the path to give them room to pass. But, of course, they stopped and surrounded us. We waited silently for one of them to speak.

Finally, a man who was riding one of our horses spoke up, "You two haven't seen any… elves around, have you?"

"No, sir-" began Rayult, but the soldier cut him off.

"Have you any manners? Look at me when you speak, knave." That stung.

Rayult looked up and met the soldier's gaze. "No, sir. We haven't." Rayult and the soldier stared each other down until the soldier looked away from Rayult's piercing gaze.

The soldier turned to me, "Those are rather peculiar clothes. You're not from around here, are you?" he asked. I shook my head. "No? Where do you come from, then?"

"South," Rayult replied, but the soldier kicked him in the face, knocking him down.

"I was speaking to the young lady," he said through his teeth.

"South," I replied as I helped Rayult to his feet.

"I see," the solder said, eying us suspiciously. "If you see two elves running around, let the authorities know. They're dangerous, so keep your distance."

All of the soldiers started to turn their horses to leave, when suddenly a gust of wind blew dust in my face and whipped my hair around, revealing my ears. I tried to cover them, but it was too late. One of the soldiers had seen my tapered ears.

"They're elves!" he exclaimed. I stunned them all by yanking some air out of their lungs. This gave us time to attack. I shoved a soldier off one of our horses, and mounted. Rayult had done likewise.

We spurred our horses away from the cluster of gasping soldiers and rode as fast as we could to gain distance from them. Rayult pulled out his bow and turned in the saddle. I looked back just as one of the soldiers fell. The other seven mounted soldiers began their pursuit. Rayult strung his bow to shoot again, but his horse stumbled and almost fell. Rayult stopped shooting the soldiers and concentrated on riding. He smiled when a circle of fire surrounded the soldiers. We reigned in and watched them struggle to get free. They were making this too easy.

Just then, the wind blew dust in our faces and eyes, breaking Rayult's concentration. The fire disappeared and the soldiers charged forward once again. I cleared the dust from my eyes, and turned the wind on the soldiers, but they didn't even flinch.

"Their helmets are protecting their eyes," Rayult explained, "Run," and we set off again. I knew we originally had no intention of going through the village, but now we were headed straight for it. I glanced back at our pursuers. They were gaining on us. We urged our horses to go faster. Rayult started shooting arrows again while I watched the road ahead. After he had shot five or six times, he turned back with a huff.

"I can't hit them while we're going so fast. I managed to get one of them, though." I was starting to get very, very annoyed.

I yanked back hard on my horse's reigns. I turned around, and glared fiercely back at the soldiers. A flurry of wind gusted at them, causing their horses to spook, but still they raced forward. Rayult stopped his horse and started yelling at me to run. I ignored his pleas and created a wall of dust and wind that slammed into the soldiers. Only then did the soldiers slow down, but only a little.

Now I was ticked.

"Take my reigns," I said and dove off my horse. I felt my skin and clothes explode as I shifted. I charged toward the soldiers and roared. I saw arrows fly at the soldiers as Rayult shot them down. Wind swirled powerfully around me and gusted toward the soldiers. I made sure the dust got inside their visors this time.

Only four soldiers remained, futilely trying to rub their eyes. Another arrow shot a soldier down as I got within pouncing range. I leaped and drove a helpless soldier to the ground. He frantically tried to reach his sword, but I stopped him by digging my claws into his arms. He screamed as I bit his shoulder, trying to get to his neck. I clawed at the soldier's helmet until it came off. I heard another soldier fall to the ground as I finished off the soldier that was beneath me.

I looked up at the riderless horses that surrounded me. They were trying to kick me in their terror. I evaded their blows and ran back to Rayult. It was then that I remembered that I didn't have any more clothes. We would have to go through the village.

We agreed that I would hide out in some rocks that were near the village with the horses while Rayult went into town to buy some clothes and supplies we were low on. Luckily, our horses had more sense than the ones the soldiers had been riding, so they wouldn't be afraid of me like the others had been.

When the horses were secure, and Rayult was sure that I was out of sight, he left. I settled down to wait and decided to take a nap. I started to doze, and time slipped by quickly as I lay there.

Several hours later, I was awakened by the sound of approaching footsteps. Then I realized there was more than one. I started to shrink back into the shelter of the rocks, hoping I wouldn't be seen. I hid in the shadows and waited for whoever was coming.

The footsteps stopped just outside my hiding place, and I heard Rayult say, "Laeli? It's safe to come out." I peeped my head over the rocks to peer at the stranger that was with him. Or rather, strangers. Rayult had two other men with him. One was fairly young, probably mid-twenties with short, blond hair. He was about a head taller than Rayult, and had green eyes that never left me. The other was older but still had the appearance of youth. He had ash-brown hair that was tied back behind him. He looked like he had seen his fair share of fights, and walked with a slight limp. I looked at their ears. They were pointed at the top.

I immediately stood and walked out in full view of the strangers. They gasped. I looked at Rayult, waiting for an explanation.

"The village is occupied by elves. I would have come to get you sooner, but they hid their ears with hair or hats, and I didn't have a clue until one of them noticed that I was an elf. I asked these two to come with me to convince you it was safe." he tossed some clothes at me, "Get dressed. They're waiting to meet the Princess Laeli."


	18. Chapter 18 Assistance

I don't know why, but I was nervous to meet the others. It must have shown, because Rayult put his arm around my shoulders.

"It's alright," he said simply. Just those two words made me feel better.

The two who came with Rayult introduced themselves as Joash and Mivak. Joash was the blond and Mivak was the older one. They gratefully led our horses behind us now.

We had entered the village by now, and the two elves took the horses to a stable to be taken care of. Rayult led the way over to a fairly large building and walked in. There were probably fifty elves inside. The room was loud with conversation and stopped a few moments after I entered. All eyes were trained on me. Rayult leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"Say something,"

"What should I say?" I whispered back.

"Anything."

I stood there for a second. I couldn't think of anything else to say but 'hi.' So I said, "Uh… hi." Everyone smiled and said nothing. I looked around for a minute, uncomfortable. Finally, a young woman walked forward and curtsied.

"I'm Shira. Rayult told us all about you. We want to help you in any way we can. And welcome to Hearthshire."

"Thanks," I said. The silence that followed was overwhelming. I looked at Rayult for assistance.

"We need to be off as soon as possible," he told Shira, "I'm sorry, but we have to get our supplies and leave."

"Of course," she said and instructed everyone to help us get our needed supplies. The room was once again filled with noise and voices as they cleared out. Joash returned to help us get our needed supplies.

"Mivak is looking after your horses," he told us, "Is there anything you would like me to get for you?" Rayult listed off a few things and Joash left to collect them. Shira left to look after her own duties, leaving Rayult and I alone. I looked at him and shrugged.

"I've gotten everything else, so we have a few minutes to rest," he told me. That sounded wonderful. We walked over to the bakery and bought something to eat while we waited. We sat in the shade of a tree that was just outside of town. Even after we finished eating, no one had appeared with our supplies.

"We should sell the horses," Rayult said suddenly. I looked at him, dumbfounded. "We were making faster progress without them, and they're just something we can go without." I wanted to argue, but he was right. I nodded my compliance and continued to wait.

It was then that I noticed how tired I was. I blinked away the sleepiness, but it continued to creep up and weigh down my eyelids. There was no use fighting it, so I stretched out on the ground and put my head on Rayult's lap. I was asleep within seconds.

I woke up about a half hour later when Rayult shook my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked around. Joash and Mivak were walking toward us, Joash carrying various provisions. A young boy who looked to be about seven years old followed them, leading our horses.

I sat up and yawned. My side was stiff from laying on the hard ground. I ran my fingers through my tangled hair, trying to look somewhat presentable. Rayult stood and helped me up. We walked to meet them and Rayult asked what he owed them.

"Nothing," replied Mivak, "We want to help you. All of us."

"However, we cannot spare anyone to escort you," said Joash.

"That's fine. You've all helped us more than enough. But I still wish to pay," Rayult paused as if trying to think.

"We could give them the horses," I said, acting like the idea had just occurred to me. Rayult nodded. I tried not to giggle at our charade.

"Keep the horses," Rayult said, "We don't need them." They started to protest, but Rayult held up a hand. "It's Laeli's wish. Do you want to insult the princess?" They shook their heads and grabbed the reigns from the boy's hands.

"No, of course not. We just thought you were in greater need of them." Mivak assured us frantically, "We will gratefully accept them. Thank you." I smiled at their courtesy.

Rayult took out two coins and gave them to the boy. "You did a very good job of handling the horses," he told him and patted his head. The boy grinned and ran off with his riches.

"Well, we have to leave," said Rayult and took the supplies from Joash, and started handing some of the things to me.

"But it's nearly dark," Joash protested, "You're welcome to stay the night, if you wish."

"No. We still have a few more hours until nightfall, and we can put a few miles behind us by then." Rayult said.

They reluctantly allowed us to leave, and we set off once we had our things in our packs. We walked down the road that led through Hearthshire as everyone gathered to watch us go. Shira walked over to us and hugged me tightly. I barely even knew any of them, yet they were giving us so much it felt like we were stealing from them. I thanked Shira for her generosity, and promised I would return to pay them back.

"It's not necessary," Mivak assured me, "Payment will be you two getting rid of the Western Republic once and for all." I smiled and started walking. I turned and waved goodbye at the helpful strangers. In front of the bunch, I saw the young boy that Rayult had given the coins. He was holding a small bag of candy in his hands, smiling happily.

Rayult and I continued to walk until the village was out of sight and started jogging to get warmed up for the hard running. I was going to miss having horses, but it was better to know they were in the care of elves rather than in the hands of the imbecilic humans.

Gradually, our pace began to quicken until we were practically sprinting. The prairie continued to stretch out ahead of us. Far ahead of us, I could barely make out a line of trees that stretched across the horizon. I knew we wouldn't stop to rest until we reached them.

I settled into my stride and watched the miles fly by with the hours. The monotonous landscape was so entirely uninteresting that I allowed my mind to wander.

I wondered how the soldiers kept finding us for one. It made no sense how they constantly discovered us and took us by surprise. Our senses are far superior to theirs, so there is no reason why they should be able to surprise us so easily. I asked Rayult about it.

"Dogs, most likely. You left a lot of your things back home with your scent on it, so we're easily tracked," he paused to breathe a little, "I'm as confused as you are as to why they're sneaking up on us with such ease. They may be very well trained, or we're just not careful enough. Or both. The waterfall was a very noisy environment, so it was simple for them to surround you without notice," he paused again, "The road ahead will be closely guarded if they've figured out where we're headed. We need to be more careful." I nodded and we ran for a long time in silence. Bored, I started counting my footsteps.

I was to five hundred seventy-three when I noticed some movement to our right. I slowed my pace and stared. It was a small herd of deer. I pointed them out to Rayult, who shrugged and continued running.

The woods were about a mile away at one thousand one hundred steps. The sun was starting to set, and the sky was barely turning pink. We quickened our pace so we could make camp before dark.

We reached the woods and stopped to make camp outside the trees so nobody could sneak up on us. But this would mean no fire, which also meant no hot supper. We ate some apples and bread and cheese and lay down to sleep. I felt exposed sleeping out on the prairie, but I was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately.

**Thanks all for the awesome reviews! Keep it up! I greatly appreciate any constructive criticism you might have to offer!**


	19. Chapter 19 Thankful

I had another nightmare that night that left me shaking and crying. Thankfully, I didn't scream. Rayult was sleeping several feet away and hadn't heard me wake.

I sat up and let the tears flow. I didn't even remember what it was about, yet the terror shook me to my bones. I took deep, gasping breaths, hoping that Rayult wouldn't wake up.

Restless, I got up to walk. I walked a few meters from where we were sleeping and looked out over the prairie. Its vast emptiness didn't help very much, but it was something to look at. I could still see the buildings of Hearthshire in the distance.

Suddenly, I felt strong arms wrap around me from behind.

"Another nightmare," said Rayult. He wasn't asking, but still I nodded. We stood for a few minutes, then I turned around in his arms and buried my face in his chest. I looked at his face. I hadn't noticed until I turned around that Rayult was crying too. He was looking off in the distance with silent tears streaking down his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

He didn't say anything for a while, then he looked into my eyes. "It's just that I can't help you with this. Sure, I can stop some soldiers from killing you, but it's the pain inside I can't protect you from," he stopped and looked off in the distance again, "I feel so helpless. I'm sorry I can't help you at all." Was that it? Men can be so dense sometimes.

"But you _are _helping me," I told him, "This, right here, makes it all go away." I hugged him tightly. "You may not have any words to help, but your actions are better than anything you can say to me. And I haven't thanked you properly yet." Then I kissed him. At first, he seemed surprised, then he kissed me back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me up off the ground.

We broke apart for a second and he whispered, "You're welcome." I laughed and our lips met again.

For the elves, any 'nighttime relationship' with another elf before marriage is a dishonor to both families, and often ended in the families disowning the insubordinate lovers. And since I was a princess, and he was only a guard, he could be killed. Even if no one found out, the dishonor would still hang over me like a cloud.

His hand traced a line of fire down my spine, making me tremble. I wound my fingers through his long black hair while my other hand traced the contours of his muscular chest. He pulled me closer with is arm that was around my waist.

I have no idea how long this went on, but eventually our kisses slowed as we stood holding each other for what seemed like hours. The sun had started to rise, and the sky was a fiery shade of orange.

"We should probably go," said Rayult, but I hugged him tighter. He laughed and kissed my neck while he tried to pry my arms from around his waist. I eventually relinquished my hold and walked back to camp to pick up my things.

Once we were packed, we started walking. The forest was quiet as we entered, as if reverent at our presence. Rayult held my hand as we walked, but that didn't help the thought I had in my head.

"Ray?" I said timidly. He looked at me, waiting for me to continue, "How is this going to work? I'm a princess, you're a guard. This can't last," I was going to say more, but he stopped walking and let go of my hand.

"I've thought about that, too. But are you going to try to stop it when it's only just started? We'll think of something, I'm sure. But for now, don't think about our future, let's just cherish the time we have together." I nodded and he kissed my forehead. He grasped my hand and we started walking again.

After a while, I let go of his hand and started jogging. I had too much on my mind to keep up the slow pace we had been going. After a mile had passed, we started running. The steady beat of my feet hitting the ground was distracting enough that I didn't think much about anything.

The miles passed and no words were exchanged between us. The wooded terrain passed by quickly as we raced through the forest, always heading north.


	20. Chapter 20 Secrets

"Is it just me," I huffed after about an hour of running, "or do we seem to be going uphill?"

"Yeah," Rayult responded, "Ariz's castle is in the mountains, so we'll be going uphill from now on," he didn't say anything for a while, then he continued, "It will be getting colder, too. Much, much colder. I wish I had remembered to get us some warmer clothes before we left Hearthshire, but hopefully we should make it to another village before it gets too terribly cold." Great. Freezing cold and wearing ourselves out by running uphill. And no warm clothes to boot.

"This is adding up to be a very interesting trip," I said. Rayult smiled and winked at me. I blushed and kept running.

"If all else fails, we can always run around in our alternate forms. We'll be warm enough that way."

"Woopie," I said, unenthused.

We didn't speak again until several hours later when my aching muscles and empty stomach demanded respite. We started to slow down so we could find a spot to rest. Through the tangle of trees, I spied a small clearing and pointed it out. I led the way through the branches and shrubs to the sunny clearing.

I threw my pack down as I flopped down on the grass and tried to slow my breathing. Even though there was a slight chill in the air, sweat poured from my brow. Rayult sat down nearby and sipped some water from his canteen. I rolled over on my back and wiped the sweat from my face. I lay there for a few more minutes and sat up to get a drink.

I looked at our surroundings as I ate and drank. The clearing wasn't that big; probably only twenty feet across at max. The branches high overhead offered some protection from the sun, but allowed some of its rays to peep through. The path was hidden from view now, and I was surprised I had seen the clearing in the first place.

I finished the last bite of my bread hunk and lay down on my side and closed my eyes. I hadn't realized Rayult was next to me until he was stroking my arm. I looked up at him and smiled.

"Don't fall asleep," he said.

"I won't," I responded, but I closed my eyes anyways. He continued to run his fingers up and down the length of my arm while I lay there and listened to the sounds of his even breathing and the birds singing sweetly in the trees. Sleep weighed down heavily on me, but Rayult roused me when he noticed I was falling asleep.

"We should leave," he said. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and sat up. He packed while I stretched out my cramped legs and back.

Rayult grabbed my hands to help me up. I tried to let go, but he held my wrists tightly and said, "Not so fast," and pulled me into him. We didn't kiss nearly as long as we had this morning, but hey, I still enjoyed it.

"I'm gonna want that back," I whispered in his ear.

"Anytime," he said as he released me. I smiled at him and bent to retrieve my pack. He led the way back through the woods to the path and we immediately started jogging.

Our brisk pace woke me up after relaxing for so long in the clearing. Gradually, we sped up to our usual pace. As the miles passed, the ground beneath us continued to slope gently upward. Hours elapsed in silence as we concentrated on every step.

I wiped sweat from my face and looked at Rayult. His eyes were set on the road ahead. What was I going to do? A wave of helplessness swept over me, and I tried to push it down. There was no way we could be together. And the worst part was, _I_ had started it. _I_ had kissed _him._

I tried to think of some way we could be together, but every idea came to a dead end. He wasn't of royal lineage, and if I quit my throne, everything my father had worked so hard for would be lost. The only way out of it was two broken hearts. I shivered at the cold feeling in my gut. Rayult was right. We should just make the most of the time we had. I banished the thoughts from my mind and tried to think of something else.

"Did you have any siblings?" I asked Rayult. He looked at me, surprised at my random question. I already wished I hadn't asked, because I knew he would ask me the same thing.

"Yeah. I had a little sister and an older brother. My brother, Tach, went away to war and never came back. He was three years older than me. My sister died in the fire with my parents. Her name was Tilley and she was only eight at the time." Clearly, this was all he was willing to tell me about them. I understood and didn't pry. "How about you?" he asked. Crap.

"Not really."

"'Not really'? What do you mean?"

I had never told anyone about what I was about to tell him. The memory was just far too painful. "My mother was pregnant when she was murdered. She had only told me about it that afternoon." I paused, fighting back tears, "My father hadn't even known. As far as I know, I'm the only person she ever told." I couldn't stop the tears from coming now. They ran freely down my cheeks as I ran. I wiped them away and kept running. "Other than that, I'm an only child."

Rayult looked at me, concerned. "Do you need to stop?" I shook my head and took a shaky breath. He put a hand on my shoulder, the equivalent of a hug since we were running. "Did he ever find out?"

"I wish he had," I said, my voice distorted by the lump in my throat, "I didn't want to tell him, because that would have made her death even harder for him. He wondered why I had been mourning for so long. He assumed it was because I had seen everything…" I stopped there as the images flashed through my mind.

We slowed to a walk and Rayult wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I couldn't keep walking and fell to my knees. Rayult knelt down next to me and I put my head on his shoulder. He rocked me in his arms and stroked my hair while I cried.

"I should have told him," I muttered into his neck, "I had no right to keep that from him."

"No," said Rayult, "You did the right thing."

I looked into his eyes. "How do you know?"

"My brother was married for two years. It ended when he and his wife were in a tragic accident that only he survived. She was six months pregnant at the time with their first child," he wiped a tear from my face, "It wouldn't have been as hard for him if she wasn't pregnant."

"That's awful," I said quietly.

"He nearly lost himself in his grief. It was a hard time for my family."

We sat while I got a hold of myself. Suddenly, we heard the distinct sound of horses nearby. We jumped up and dove into the nearby bushes.

The sounds approached and three horsemen came into view. They were heavily armored, yet they didn't wear the insignia of the Western Republic. Their faces were obstructed by helmets, so I couldn't tell what race they were. I looked at Rayult and shrugged. We froze when a stick snapped under my weight. The men halted their horses and looked dead at us.

"Who's there?" one of them asked. Rayult patted my back, instructing me to stay down.

"I'm sorry to startle you," he said as he stood, "but I thought you were from the Western Republic."

"The Republic?" responded one of the men, "Why would you be afraid of them? They wouldn't hurt you. Unless you're… an… elf." The one who had been speaking removed his helmet and squinted at Rayult. I looked at the man's round ears. In an instant, Rayult had his bow drawn and an arrow strung. The man held up a hand, "Wait!" he exclaimed, "We don't want to hurt you!"

"Prove it," Rayult responded menacingly. The other two armored figures removed their helmets to reveal noble faces and pointed ears. I started to get up, but Rayult stepped on my hand. I kept quiet and stayed down. Rayult's bow was still trained on the strangers. "Not good enough," he growled.

"Believe it or not, there are some humans who have allied with the elves to help stop the Republic," It was one of the elves who spoke, "The human is just coming with me to my father's castle in the mountains to try and convince him to assist in the defeat of the Republic." Rayult slowly lowered his bow.

"You're a prince?" he asked. The elf nodded. "Is your father's name Ariz?"

"Yes, that is my father," the elf responded. I waited while Rayult let this sink in. Eventually, he put away his bow and bent to help me up. The strangers' eyes grew wide at my appearance.

"This is Princess Laeli, daughter of King Oenthe. I'm sure her story will be more than enough to convince your father to go to war."


	21. Chapter 21 Escorts

"Princess _Laeli_?" asked the prince. I nodded slowly.

"Impossible," whispered the other elf, "We received news that you and your father were dead."

"Unfortunately, King Oenthe _is _dead. We barely escaped with our lives." Rayult said. He helped me out of the bushes and onto the path.

"What do you mean 'escaped'?" asked the human.

"The Western Republic attacked just after an assassin killed her father. The entire castle was destroyed, now we have nowhere to go." I gave Rayult a look that said, 'I _really_ don't want to hear this.'

"That is quite the story," said the prince, "Would you like to travel with us? I would like to hear more of your tale, if you're willing. I know we're short some horses, but we can switch out between walking and riding."

"We would be honored," said Rayult.

"What is your name, brother elf?" inquired the prince.

"Rayult. I was a guard at Oenthe's castle. We had one other with us, but he was killed in our escape."

"That's unfortunate. I'm sorry about your loss, Princess Laeli," said the prince.

"Thank you," I said and tried unsuccessfully to smile.

"This is Callaris and Tristan," the prince gestured to the elf, then the human. "I'm Faeras. Callaris is a knight and my body guard. We traveled to Tristan's home in Linwick to escort him to my father's castle." Faeras dismounted as he spoke. "We were going to stop for the night later on, but I can see you two are exhausted. We'll go ahead and set up camp. You can ride my horse, Princess Laeli." I didn't refuse and allowed him to help me onto his steed. The prince led the horse while Rayult walked next me on the ground.

I couldn't believe the sudden turn of events. It seemed almost too good to be true. Apparently, Rayult thought so too, because he kept his hand near his sword hilt just in case this was a trap. I didn't feel threatened by the prince or his comrades, so I felt at ease in their presence. I could not trust Tristan simply because he was human. It was also unnerving that I would catch him staring at me from time to time.

We kept going for about ten minutes with little conversation until we stopped at a spot that was sheltered by trees and shrubs. I had to dismount to get under the low branches, and walked next to Rayult the rest of the way. Since we didn't have any horses, we sat down while the others tended to their weary steeds.

"You know we can't be together from here on out," I pointed out in a low voice so the others didn't have a prayer of hearing us. Rayult nodded. He turned to face me with a look of longing in his eyes. A single tear ran down my face as my heart ripped in half at the expression on his face. I wiped the tear away and stood up.

"I'm going to go get firewood," I said.

Faeras looked at me in horror, "That's not necessary. We'll send someone else to get it. Rayult? Do you mind?" He didn't argue and walked out of the campsite. I sat back down to wait.

I glanced up just as Tristan looked away. He had been staring at me again. I fixed a glare at him until he looked at me again. We locked gazes for a second, then he turned away. I didn't want to be mean, but I wanted to show him that I didn't trust him and he shouldn't mess with me. I didn't catch him looking at me for several more hours.

Rayult returned after a few minutes, arms laden with broken branches and small sticks. The others finished with the horses and sat down on the opposite side of the fire pit Callaris had dug. Faeras sat down right next to me and looked at the hard expression on my face.

After a few seconds, he said, "What has happened to you that such a deep sadness would be in your eyes? What happened to your father?" I looked at him for a moment, then looked away from his intense, electric blue eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it. Ask Rayult. He'll tell you." Hopefully he would leave out the details of the relationship between us. Faeras looked over at Rayult, waiting for him to speak.

"I'll tell you about it later, highness. It's too hard for her to even listen to," Rayult explained apologetically.

"Of course," the prince said, "My apologies. I didn't mean to offend you."

"It's alright," I mumbled. Rayult sat down next to me so I was flanked by him and Faeras. I wanted so badly to lean against him, but I knew I shouldn't in the presence of our new escorts. To get my mind off the painful thoughts, I decided to ask a question.

"Is it true you have dragons?" I asked. Callaris chuckled.

"Yes, it's true," he replied, "Both Faeras and I have dragons, but we left them at the castle. It would look a little suspicious to see two huge dragons flying overhead."

"What do they look like?" Rayult asked. He was curious, too.

"They're big. The biggest I've seen was probably as big as a large house. They walk around on four legs and have long necks and sharp spikes that run down their spine. Their colors vary. Callaris's is bright green, and mine is white. Well, silver. However you want to look at it," Faeras told us.

We talked about the dragons for hours. I learned that they are actually quite intelligent, and can even talk. They told us how dragon riders begin their training at age seven, and never go home until their training is complete. Faeras told us about how the dragons choose their riders by walking up to whoever it was they felt was their companion. When a rider was chosen, his training was done. On several occasions, there would be one elf left over without a dragon and would have to continue training until a dragon would choose him. This was such a fascinating topic that time flew by so quickly, the sun was setting before we knew it.

"We should start the fire," said Callaris.

"I got it," said Rayult, but the prince protested.

"You've already done so much, and it's such a hassle to start a fi-" he stopped when flames started dancing on Rayult's fingers. He gave the prince a sly look of triumph. Faeras chuckled as Rayult tossed a ball of fire at the small stack of sticks that was in the fire pit.

The prince stopped laughing and looked at me, "Wait…how old are you, Princess Laeli?"

"I'm seventeen, but my father deemed it necessary to teach me of our powers. I already know what mine are." Faeras looked more relieved at this knowledge. He was about to ask about them, but I quickly said, "Wind. Panther." He nodded and glanced at my wrist. A puzzled look crossed his face.

"You don't have a bracelet?" I shook my head, confused. "I think we have a couple extra you can have." Callaris got up to get them. When I didn't say anything, Faeras said, "You do know what they do, don't you?" Both Rayult and I shook our heads as Callaris handed us some expensive-looking bracelets. The prince sighed and continued, "I'm sure you know the inconvenience of shifting to your alternates and losing your clothes. These bracelets will magically make your clothes disappear when you shift. When you transform back, they'll reappear just as if you had never shifted in the first place."

I slipped the bracelet on my wrist and felt the familiar sensation of my body shifting into a panther. The bracelet was still around my wrist, but it had grown to fit around my much larger forearm. I shifted back and my clothes reappeared.

"Thank you," I said, "You have no idea how many times I could have used this."

The prince chuckled and said, "You're welcome. Consider it a gift."

The sun had began setting and I realized how incredibly tired I was. I yawned and announced that I was going to go to sleep.

"Without supper?" Rayult asked.

I shook my head and said, "I'm not hungry." I stood up and walked over to my pack and took out my blanket. I lay out on the ground and closed my eyes and waited for sleep to overtake me. The men were quiet for a few minutes while I tried to sleep. I heard the sound of whispers and two sets of feet walking away, but I was asleep before I could look at what had made the noise.

**Penny for your thoughts? Ok, no penny, but reviews are appreciated!**


	22. Chapter 22 Rayult

It was strange that Laeli didn't want any supper. She usually ate like a bear after a long day of traveling. I dismissed it and watched as she spread out her blanket and lay down.

I was deep in my thoughts when the prince leaned over to whisper in my ear, "May I speak with you?" I nodded and stood up to walk with him. We wandered a few meters from camp and stopped. Faeras was silent for a minute while he gathered his thoughts.

"I need to know," he began, "What happened to her?" I sighed. I had anticipated this.

"The Western Republic attacked her home in the middle of the night after an assassin killed her father. It was very hard on her. I'm sure you know her mother was killed several years ago by the Republic. She lost everything. As far as we know, there's only one other survivor of the attack. He went to see King Xarin for help." Prince Faeras was silent while this sunk in.

"I can see there is a close relationship between you two. I understand. It's nearly impossible for a man and a woman to travel together and not fall in love," my heart started racing as he turned to stare me down, "but it has to end." He walked quickly back to camp without another word.

"Faeras?" I said, just loud enough for him to hear. I heard his footsteps stop. "Keep an eye on Tristan." Faeras's footsteps approached.

"You don't trust him." I noticed it wasn't a question.

"It's not that. He's been staring at Laeli. A lot." I didn't look at Faeras as I spoke. He sighed.

"I'll watch him," he said shortly and returned to camp.

I leaned against a tree and watched the sun go down. I fumed silently at the prince's frankness. It was amazing how Laeli could be so sweet and considerate, and yet Faeras could just say two words and leave you wishing he wasn't so high and mighty so you could tell him how you _really_ felt. Royal families could be so confusing sometimes. But then again, so could love.

My thoughts wandered to earlier that afternoon before we met Faeras when Laeli told me about her mother. It was unfathomable how she could keep such a secret as that from anyone. But I knew how she did it; her strength and love for her father kept him from the unbearable pain that she bore for him.

The painful memories of my brother's agony sent a tear down my cheek. I wiped it away. I missed my family so very much, and I never had a chance to say goodbye to them.

I sighed and got a hold of myself. I wasn't going to make that mistake again.


	23. Chapter 23 Goodbyes

I woke up in the middle of the night when Rayult shook my shoulder. I sat up and looked at him. He beckoned me to come with him. He shifted over to his cougar form and padded silently out of camp. I did the same and followed him.

_Where are we going?_ I asked after we had been walking for a minute.

_Not far. I wanted to talk to you._

"About what?" I had shifted back. The cougar stopped and turned around. In an instant, Rayult stood where the cougar was only seconds before. He took three long steps over to me and wrapped me in his arms. I had been itching to kiss him for a while, and finally I got what I wanted.

His lips were hard against mine. I shivered when he placed a hand around my waist and pulled me closer into him. I hadn't realized I was crying until I tasted the salty tears on my tongue. I stopped kissing him and buried my face in his chest. He stroked my back and kissed the top of my head.

"I wanted to tell you… just in case I don't get another chance…" he paused and took a deep breath to steady himself. "…I love you." I looked up at his face and into his dark intense eyes.

"I love you, too," I whispered. He bent his head to kiss me again, but a stick snapped somewhere in the darkness. He pushed me behind him protectively and drew his sword.

"Who's there?" he demanded. A figure rose up out of the bushes nearby.

"It's just me," said Callaris. "I'm sorry, I just had to be sure you were safe." He turned to leave, but Rayult stopped him.

"Please. Don't tell Faeras. He knows already, but I just had to say my goodbyes," Rayult pleaded. Callaris nodded his understanding and returned to camp.

"I hate that you said you had to say goodbye," I mumbled. I looked at the ground as tears fell from my eyes. Rayult put his hand under my chin and tilted my head up.

"I know. I can't bear being apart from you. But promise me something; don't fall in love with Prince Faeras. He's…not nice." I could tell he wanted to call him something else.

I smiled. "How could I give my heart to anyone else when I've already given it to you?"

"I have no idea," he said and hugged me tightly. I tilted my chin up to kiss him again and felt his lips press against mine.

We stayed up until the sky turned gray as the sun roused itself for another trek across the sky.

"We should get some sleep," I said. Rayult nodded and we shifted to our alternates. Silently, we slunk into camp and lay down in our beds that were several yards apart. After I was back in my normal form, I looked over at Rayult and mouthed 'Good night.' He smiled at me and I rolled over to go to sleep.

I waited until I heard the familiar sound of Rayult's deep breathing. He only breathed like that when he was asleep. Making as little noise as possible, I got up and wandered away from the camp until I found a spot where I could watch the sunrise. I had too much on my mind to sleep.

I heard shuffling footsteps behind me and I glanced over my shoulder. It was Faeras. I turned back to the pink and purple riot that announced the sun's arrival.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked. I nodded. "Not nearly as beautiful as you, princess." I smiled at his complement.

"Thank you," I said as I turned to face him, "But you know very well that my heart belongs to someone else." I started walking back to camp and ignored Faeras's pleas for me to come back. I heard anger enter his voice and listened to his fast-approaching footsteps. He stood directly in front of me and I met his fierce blue eyes.

"If you mean that low-life _guard_-"

"That _guard_ has more civility than you, _Prince _Faeras. And he is certainly not a low-life. Now _get out of my way,_" I sneered. I moved to go around him, but he blocked my path.

"You know where this will lead. It will end in nothing but pain for the both of you. I can bring you happiness-"

"No, you can't. I know what I must do, so don't try to tell me what to do. Your advice has been duly ignored," I interrupted him for the second time. I tried to pass him again, but he grabbed my wrist to hold me back.

"_Let. Me. Go._" I said with as much venom as I could muster. He only gripped my wrist tighter. I shifted to my panther form and let a fierce growl rip through my throat. Faeras had let me go and stood still, glaring at me.

"This won't do you any good, you know," he said. As if _that_ would make me love him. I snarled at him when he tried to stop me from going back to camp.

Once I reached the relative safety of our camp, I shifted back and woke Rayult. It was still very early, and we hadn't had very much sleep last night.

"What?" he asked sleepily.

"We're leaving," I said, "You were right. The prince isn't nice at all." Rayult was up in seconds, looking around for Faeras.

"What did he do?" he asked protectively.

"Forget it. Let's just go." He stared at me for a moment, then started packing.

We didn't linger once our stuff was gathered. We didn't say goodbye or thank any of them. Callaris and Tristan were still sleeping, thankfully. We silently left them behind and started running when we made it to the road.

"You know they're going to catch us, don't you?" Rayult asked.

"We'll just be listening for them and hide somewhere off the path when they pass. I don't want to meet them again."

Rayult sighed in frustration and said, "What happened?"

"He started flirting and I blew him off. He didn't like it and wouldn't let me go back to camp, so I got aggressive and turned into a panther to make him back off. It worked, and here we are." I ran for a few minutes without saying anything. "I can't _wait_ to meet his father."

"Ah, his father," Rayult mused, "He'll be _delighted _when Faeras tells him about me."


	24. Chapter 24 Fighting

Faeras and his posse caught up to us around noon. It wasn't hard to hear the sound of their galloping horses behind us. Once again, we dove into the bushes and watched, unnoticed, as they sped by.

"I wonder why they were in such a hurry?" I wondered as Rayult helped me out of the bushes. We froze when we heard more horses coming up the path. We dove back into the bushes just as fifteen Western Republic soldiers raced by us, most likely in pursuit of the prince.

Even after the soldiers were gone, we laid there for several more minutes just in case more should follow. When none appeared, we cautiously got to our feet.

"Maybe we should stop and eat," Rayult suggested. I stared at him, dumbfounded at his proposition.

"They could need our help! We need to catch up with them!" I said as I made my way out of the bushes and to the path. Rayult caught up with me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Wait. I thought you hated him," he said.

"I do, but it's the right thing to do." Then I morphed to my panther form and started running as fast as I could.

_Laeli? Wait up!_ Apparently Rayult had phased, too. I slowed up a little and allowed him to catch up, then I took off again. It was much faster to run like this, but we weren't as fast as the horses they were riding.

_We'll never catch them!_ I said, defeated. Then I heard the sound of clashing swords up ahead, and urged my legs to go faster.

We rounded a tight corner, and the battle came into view. Five soldiers already lay dead on the ground, and the rest were practically overwhelming the others.

_Burn them up,_ I told Rayult.

_With pleasure,_ he responded, and the soldiers' helmets erupted with fire. Screams of torment pierced the air as the soldiers yanked their helmets off, only to discover they were still burning.

By this time, we were close enough to leap up and attack the soldiers on their horses. I took two more steps and pounced onto the nearest soldier. He screamed in pain when I sunk my teeth deep into his neck. The man's shouts came to a sickening stop when I snapped his neck. The horse my victim was riding bucked me off, sending me tumbling to the ground. The stupid horse kicked my ribs as I tried to run away from its flailing legs. I rolled to my feet and kept running from the crazed charger. The horse ran off into the woods and I looked back at the battle behind us. Only three soldiers were left, and I just waited for them to be finished off. I morphed back and felt my ribs. They were definitely broken. Rayult ran over to me and morphed back.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he got closer. I shook my head as I tried to breathe. "What happened?" I just pointed to my side. He squatted down next to where I was kneeling and gently pressed his fingers against my broken ribs, making tears come to my eyes. "Sorry," he apologized, "You've got at least three broken ribs. Can you breathe okay?" I nodded as I realized I had just gotten the wind knocked out of me.

"Stupid horse," I muttered. I looked up when I saw Callaris approaching.

"Are you two alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but she's got some broken ribs," Rayult responded.

"Let me see," Callaris said and I gingerly lifted my shirt so he could look at my side. It was bruised and purple where the horse had kicked me. He dug a stone out of his pocket and pressed it against my side. The stone dissolved into my skin as my bones reset themselves and healed up. I looked at my side and gasped. The bruise was gone, and my ribs felt fine.

"Thank you," I breathed.

He smiled and said, "You're welcome." Faeras walked up to where I was still kneeling, followed by Tristan. He made a face of disgust when Rayult helped me up.

"That wasn't necessary. We could have handled it without your interference," Faeras sneered. I noticed that those words were directed solely at Rayult.

"In case you hadn't noticed, we just saved your lives. I would have let you die if Laeli hadn't insisted we help you."

"I'll keep that in mind when _you_ need _my_ help. I'll be sure you die a slow death." They glared at each other for what seemed like hours.

"I would kill you where you stand if you weren't a prince."

"I'd like to see you try," Faeras retorted. In an instant, Rayult had grabbed the prince around his neck and drew a fiery fist back for a punch. Callaris had a knife pressed against Rayult's neck.

"Stop it!" I shouted. Rayult reluctantly released the prince and Callaris put his knife away slowly.

Rayult turned to face me, "Come on. Let's get out of here." He grabbed my hand and led the way over to the bunch of frightened horses, ignoring the prince's furious shouts. He helped me onto one of the horses and mounted another. We spurred the chargers forward and left the disgruntled prince behind us.

I didn't say anything and let Rayult cool down. I knew if I hadn't interfered something when I did, Rayult would have killed the prince and Callaris would have killed Rayult.

"Are you alright?" he asked after a few minutes.

"I'm fine," I lied. I knew that incident could most likely get him killed if Faeras chose to tell his father about it. And knowing how much he hated Rayult, I knew he would.


	25. Chapter 25 Negotiations

I waited until Rayult was asleep before I left. I could see Faeras's campfire from where we slept, and I wanted to speak with him.

It was a short walk to their camp, and I knew they were still up because I could see their silhouettes. I tripped on a log in the darkness, and I squealed in surprise when I fell.

"Who's out there?" I heard Faeras yell.

"It's me, Laeli," I said as I walked into their camp. "I wanted to talk to you." The three of them looked surprised at my intrusion.

"What is it?" he asked. I didn't say anything and waited for him to get the hint. "Very well. Come, let's walk a bit."

We walked until they were out of earshot, then stopped. Faeras looked at me, waiting for me to speak.

"You're going to tell your father, aren't you?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

"Of course. What Rayult did was inexcusable," he insisted.

"Oh, but it is excusable," I said in a low voice, "You're going to forget this ever happened. You won't tell your father, and neither are the others."

"And how are you going to stop me?" he challenged.

"I could kill all three of you right now, and tell your father the Western Republic killed you." To prove my point, I stopped the air in his lungs, suffocating him.

"You wouldn't kill me," he gasped.

"Yes, I would," I bluffed, and pulled some of the air out of his lungs. He fell to his knees and struggled to breathe.

"Alright," he wheezed, and I released him. I let him catch his breath. "I won't tell anyone. I promise on the graves of my ancestors I won't breathe a word about it."

"That's all I'm asking," I said and helped him to his feet. I dragged him back to his camp and said, "Remember our bargain. Tell them now." Then I morphed into a panther and left them behind.

It wasn't hard to find where I had left Rayult sleeping. I just followed my scent. I silently laid down next to him and morphed back.

"Where did you go?" he mumbled.

"Just to have a chat with Prince Faeras," I explained. He muttered something else, but I couldn't understand what he said.

He rolled over so my back was to his chest and wrapped me in his strong arms. I was glad he did that, because it was starting to get colder at night. The combined heat of the two blankets on top of us and Rayult's warm body next to me warded off the chill in the air.

"What did you tell Faeras?" he asked.

"Not much. I just threatened his life and told him that if he told his father about what happened this afternoon, very bad things would happen." Rayult chuckled and kissed my neck.

"Good girl," he whispered. I smiled and let sleep overtake me.

**Please Review!**


	26. Chapter 26 Working Things Out

When we woke up the next morning, Faeras and his comrades had already left. The morning air was chilly, making our breath show in white puffs. I kept my blanket draped over my shoulders while I ate breakfast.

I could see the mountain where King Ariz's castle was, but I couldn't see a castle. I recalled hearing the city blended in perfectly with the mountain so enemies wouldn't know where it was, so I didn't worry.

We finished eating and saddled the horses we had taken from the soldiers. They weren't as good as elfin horses, but they could move quickly if they needed to. We mounted and rode at a walk until we made it to the path, then urged the horses into a canter. I was surprised at the stallion's smooth gait.

"We should reach the mountain's base by nightfall," said Rayult.

"Then what?" I asked.

"There's a small town at its base. We'll stay there and make our way up in the morning."

The horses were good, but they tired after ten minutes of cantering. We didn't have time to wait for them to rest up, so we let them go free and kept running in our alternate forms. It wasn't as fast, but it was faster than running on two legs.

It didn't warm up very much as the day passed. The cold air made my lungs burn with every breath. We weren't hungry when it came to be lunch time, so we kept running. We would stop later if we needed to. The hours flew by as we raced toward the mountain. The forest became more sparse as the landscape around us became rocky and less fertile.

We stopped to rest when the sun was far behind us. It would set in a few more hours, so we ate quickly and set out again.

Minutes after we started off again, the town came into view, if you could call it a town. There was only one building. Some town. We didn't want to frighten whoever lived there, so we morphed back and ran in our natural forms. I thanked the prince a thousand times in my head for the bracelets.

We started walking once we reached the lone building. I noticed some horses tied up at the side of the tavern. They belonged to Faeras and his bunch. As we walked inside, I immediately saw them sitting in the corner. There was nobody else here but Rayult and I, Faeras, Tristan, Callaris, the bartender, and his wife.

"Ah," said the bartender, "You must be the two friends Faeras was telling me about. Come on in, get warm." He started to set us a table next to the fireplace, which was also next to Faeras's table. Callaris kept a wary eye on Rayult while I watched Faeras for any sign of hostility. Neither of them said anything, but the looks on their faces were practically screaming hatred and rage. I shot a warning glance at Faeras, reminding him of what had happened last night. Poor Tristan didn't know what to do with himself and just stared at the mug of ale he had in his hands.

"If you need anything, just gimme a holler," said the bartender, "Name's Vince, by the way."

I made Rayult sit down so his back was to Faeras. Tonight was going to be interesting.

"What'll you have?" asked Vince's wife pleasantly.

"Hot tea for me," I said and waited for Rayult to respond. When he didn't, I ordered for him, "Cider for him."

"I don't like cider," he complained when she left.

"You do now," I shot back. He just rolled his eyes and continued to sulk. I reached across the table and put my hand on his arm. "Don't worry about Faeras. He won't bother us anymore." He looked up at me, his brown eyes smoldering in the flickering firelight.

The barmaid came back with our drinks. She set a steaming cup of tea and a bowl of sugar in front of me. Rayult sniffed his cider and wrinkled his nose.

"You better drink that," I teased.

He quickly chugged it down and said, "Ale, please." The barmaid laughed and took his empty mug. "I'll be right back."

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" I prodded.

"Actually, it was terrible." He coughed and wiped his mouth. "Don't make me do that again." I laughed and sipped my tea.

I looked over at Faeras who was watching us closely. Callaris looked at Rayult, then Prince Faeras and shrugged. I rolled my eyes, expressing the hopelessness of the situation. I knew they would never get along.

I finished my tea and had Mary (that was the barmaid's name) prepare a bath for me. I didn't feel comfortable about leaving Rayult and Faeras, so I had Callaris ask Rayult about when I nearly died after getting shot by three arrows. That should keep them occupied.

The sun had begun to set by the time I had gathered fresh clothes, soap, and a towel for my bath. I locked the door to the room designated for bathing, and slowly got in the hot, steamy water. I wanted to take my time, but I was getting nervous about leaving Rayult with Faeras for so long.

I had just gotten dressed when I heard a quiet knock on the door.

"Yes?" I inquired.

"It's Mary. Can I come in?" Puzzled, I got up from where I was sitting and unlocked the door.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, images of a dead Prince Faeras flashing through my mind.

"Everything's fine," she assured me as I let her in. "I just wanted to talk to you." She saw the cautious look enter my eyes and laughed. "It's alright," she said as she pushed back her hair so her tapered ears were visible, "I'm just like you." This knowledge made me feel much better.

"But your husband, Vince… he's human," I observed.

"Aye, he is," she paused to sit down in a chair, "But as you know, love ignores the boundaries of race and rank. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. But first, let me share a secret with you." She stopped again to gather her thoughts. "I can sense the purities of relationships. If a relationship is genuine, I can feel it. It's something I've had since I was born. Nobody can explain it, but I can also see how the relationship will end. Well, not exactly _how_, but what emotions one feels. It's very rare that I feel a relationship end in happiness. Usually there's pain, suffering, and grief. But the passion between you and your Rayult," she grinned in excitement, "it's so _real_ and… I don't know how to explain it. But I definitely sense a happy ending for the both of you."

When she concluded, I knew her words were true. I just didn't know how it could end in happiness for either of us, but I didn't worry about it.

I hugged Mary tightly and whispered, "Thank you." Tears of joy ran down my cheeks and onto her shirt.

She patted my back and said, "You're welcome, dear." After a moment, she let me go and stood up. "Now to get rid of this water," she said as she walked over to the window and opened it. I expected her to get a bucket and dump it out, but all at once, the water leaped up out of the tub and out the window. I laughed at the unexpected occurrence.

"That's much easier than using a bucket. It's what I have to do when there are humans around so I don't scare them off." She put the tub on its side and moved toward the door. "Whenever you're ready, I'll show you to your room. We're all downstairs still." She was about to shut the door behind her, but stopped. "Is it true that you got shot by _three arrows_?" I laughed and nodded. Her eyes grew wide as she shut the door.

I smiled and brushed out my tangled hair. I felt elated, and realized I couldn't stop smiling, even if I tried to. For the first time in a long time, I knew everything was going to be okay.

**All these visitors and no reviews? The Rabid Moose is disappointed.**


	27. Chapter 27 Dragons

As I went to bed that night, I decided to keep what Mary told me to myself. I wanted to tell Rayult, but we were far too comfortable with each other already, and he shouldn't have any reason to push our relationship any further.

I was so overjoyed, I was surprised to find myself tucked under the covers of my bed. I had been so distracted, I hadn't paid any attention to what I was doing. I smiled to myself as Mary's words ran through my head again. There was so much joy inside of me, I was certain my heart would burst.

There was only one bed in my room, and since the prince was disgruntled enough, I had a room all to myself. I hated to admit it, but I missed the warmth of Rayult's body next to mine, and I shivered at the chill in the room. The only source of extra warmth I had was the heavy wool blanket folded neatly at the foot of my bed. I was too cold without it, but I was too warm under the covers to sit up and retrieve it.

I tucked my knees into my chest and sighed, trying to relax. I rolled over so I could look out the window, trying in vain to redirect my thoughts so I could get some sleep. I could only see one constellation through my window; Daris, the swan. I felt at ease at the sight of the group of stars that was a memorial to my mother. It felt as if she were celebrating my jubilance with me.

I closed my eyes as a single tear ran down my cheek. It wasn't a tear of sadness, but one of joy. I smiled again as I felt my weariness creep up on me.

"Laeli?" I woke as I felt a hand shake my shoulder. Peeping my heavy eyelids open, I looked up at Rayult. I yawned and stretched, feeling my bones pop. I sat up and looked out the window. Dawn was breaking.

"What is it?" I asked through another yawn. It was then that I saw Faeras standing in the doorway.

"Faeras and Callaris are going to head up the mountain," he said as he sat down at the foot of my bed. "Tristan is staying here with us while they get… transportation for us."

"What do you mean, 'transportation'?" I inquired. Rayult exchanged glances with Faeras.

"Dragons," Faeras said, stepping in the door, "It will be much faster if we fly. But we're too far away for them to be called. So we are going on ahead to get things ready for you and possibly get someone to help us get you and your belongings to the castle." I was confused as to why this should require waking me up at the crack of dawn. So I asked Rayult why he woke me so early.

"Because they'll be back in an hour or so," he replied simply.

"An _hour?"_ I asked, skeptical.

"There's a couple of dragons here already, but they can't carry all five of us to the castle, plus our luggage. Faeras had it arranged that someone would send them to this tavern today so they could get home, but the addition of us to their party means they'll need some assistance."

"Oh," I said, thoughtfully. Then it occurred to me that I have never seen a dragon. Jumping out of bed, I said, "I want to see them!" I heard Rayult and Faeras chuckle as I raced down the stairs and outside into the chilly air. I froze at the sight of them.

There were indeed, two dragons. The first was a brilliant silvery-white. It was sleek and muscular with an elongated neck. It had long, ivory spines running down its back, starting at the base of its skull and ending in a club-like cluster at the tip of its tail. Its claws were also ivory and sharp as an eagle's. Its wings were tucked in at its sides, but I estimated the span was well over fifty feet. Its ice-blue eyes met mine and it flicked its tongue out at me.

The second was a brilliant shade of green that had bright, blood red eyes. This one also had spines down its back, but instead of ivory, they were black as ink. Its talons were likewise colored. It seemed to be larger than the white one, and possibly more muscled. I guessed it was older than the other. It was apparently very tired as it stretched out its huge green wings and yawned from where it was laying. Evidently they weren't used to getting up at this hour either.

"What do you think?" I jumped at Faeras's voice.

"They're really… big," I stated. Faeras chuckled and started to lead me toward the white dragon.

"Wait, what are you doing?" I asked, dragging my feet.

"Saris wants to meet you," he said as he dragged me along.

"Saris?" I realized this was the dragon's name. "How do you know he wants to meet me?" I was too close for comfort, but I was still out of its reach.

"_She_," he corrected, "can speak for herself."

"Wait, what?" I was confused, but my confusion was clarified at the sound of her voice.

"Hello," she greeted me. It took me a second to comprehend that she actually talked. To me. Out loud.

"Uh… hi," I said timidly as Faeras led me close enough to feel her warm breath on my face. I looked at Faeras for guidance.

"Saris, this is-"

"Laeli. Yes, I know," she interrupted. Turning to me she said with a growl, "I _know_ you threatened my Faeras. And the only thing that's stopping me from hurting you is the fact that you're a princess. And the only thing that's stopping me from hurting _him_," she nodded toward Rayult who was still on the porch, "is because you like him too much, and that would get me in deep trouble."

"Saris, leave the poor girl alone," it was the other dragon who spoke this time, "She was only protecting her friend. I'm sure you would have done the same." The green dragon stood up and walked over to me. I was starting to feel very uncomfortable with the two huge dragons towering over me. The dragon turned his head (for its voice was, indeed, a male voice) and looked at me with his wine red eye.

"My name is Okteru," he said as he inspected me, "Just ignore Saris. Her bark is much worse than her bite." He made a noise that sounded like laughter and pulled his head back to give me some room. So dragons have a sense of humor? Who knew?

"How is it that you know so much about me already?" I asked them.

"We've been here for hours," Saris said, "Faeras already filled us in on pretty much everything."

"So you're Faeras's dragon?" Rayult asked Saris. I hadn't heard him come up behind me. Saris snorted in response.

"Saris isn't _my_ dragon. We prefer to think of each other as… partners. Just like Okteru and Callaris," Faeras explained. Rayult nodded thoughtfully.

"We should leave," Callaris said as he walked out of the tavern. Faeras nodded and the dragons took several steps apart so they had room to take off. Rayult put an arm around my waist and led me back to the porch.

We turned to face them just as they took off. The dragons' wings spread out wide and high above their heads, then drove down powerfully with a jarring _thud. _With each wing beat, another _thud_ reverberated through the air until they were over a hundred feet high. Once the dragons were high enough, they darted off toward the mountains. We stood and watched them until they passed from view.

"Oh, no," said Vince. We all looked at him, wondering what the problem was. "It'll take forever to flatten that out," he said as he pointed to where the dragons had taken off from. The dirt was torn up and rough where their back claws had dug into the ground when they took off. I smiled as Vince shook his head and turned to go back inside with Mary and Tristan, leaving Rayult and I alone outside.

"That was interesting," I said after the door shut behind them. Rayult laughed quietly and put an arm around my shoulders.

"_You_ wanted to see them, remember?" he teased. I rolled my eyes and kissed his cheek.

"We should go get ready," I said and turned to walk inside.

**I realized I posted the wrong chapter... Sorry for any confusion! To make up for it, I'll fix the error, and post 2 new chapters!**


	28. Chapter 28 Flight

We had just got the remainder of our belongings together when the others returned with two more dragons. I would ride with Callaris, Tristan would ride with Faeras, Rayult would ride with one of the other dragon riders, and our luggage would be strapped onto the fourth dragon.

The new arrivals didn't say anything to either Rayult or I as we got ready to take off. The only time they spoke to us was to tell us their names, which I promptly forgot. I would probably never see them again anyways. One of the elves was tall for an elf, and had short, spikey black hair. He looked to be a little older than Faeras, and had a proud, noble look about him. The other was normal height with a stocky build. He had long, blonde hair that was pulled back in a braid. He had piercing blue eyes and a kind face. The black-haired elf's dragon was a boy, and was a sky blue color with charcoal gray spikes and talons. The blonde's was also a boy, and had black spikes, like Okteru, but had ivory talons. Its scales were a dark, silvery gray.

My heart pounded as I approached Okteru. I had never flown before, let alone on a dragon. Callaris put a comforting hand on my shoulder and promised nothing would happen to me. He boosted me up onto Okteru's back and climbed up behind me. I took a deep breath and screamed when we took off unexpectedly. I looked over the side and watched the ground get farther and farther away. I squeezed my eyes shut and held on tightly to the neck spike in front of me.

"Don't look down!" Callaris yelled over the rushing wind.

"You should have said that earlier!" I shouted back at him.

The dragon turned sharply and sped forward. When I started to slip off, Callaris put an arm around my waist to hold me in place. I felt much better.

When the flight leveled out, I decided to open my eyes and look around. What I saw was magnificent. Tree-covered slopes sped by beneath us as we got closer to the mountain peaks. Snow began falling as we gained altitude and I spied several frozen waterfalls and rivers below. The snow-covered landscape was almost blinding in the early afternoon sun.

I was so mesmerized by the mountainside that I wasn't paying attention to where we were headed.

"Look up ahead," Callaris yelled. I turned to where Callaris was pointing and saw at first what I thought was just a mountain. But the longer I stared at it, the more I saw spires and turrets that blended into the mountainside so well, we could have passed right over the castle and I never would have seen it.

Finally, after almost two months of traveling, we had arrived at Snowviolet Castle.


	29. Chapter 29 Snowviolet Castle

We flew around the mountainside until the castle was no longer visible and landed in a colossal cavern that could have easily fit seven of the massive dragons. One by one, the dragons flew into the mouth of the cave and landed on the stone floor.

Callaris leaped gracefully off Okteru's back and helped me down. My legs turned to liquid under me and the room spun as I fell to the ground.

"Laeli!" I heard Rayult scream from what seemed like miles away. I felt a strong arm behind me, supporting me.

"She's alright," Callaris reassured him, "This happens sometimes after a first flight. She'll pull out of it in a minute." My vision cleared and I saw it was Rayult who was holding me up.

"Get her some water, please," Faeras ordered one of the elves who had flown with us.

Of all the emotions that I could have been feeling right now, embarrassment was the one I felt the most. I was the only one who collapsed like this. I looked at Rayult and scowled.

"How come you didn't fall down?" I asked him bitterly.

"I almost did, but I guess at the sight of you almost passing out, the blood shock made it go away. But don't worry, you're not alone. Tristan is out cold." I looked over to where Tristan landed and saw him laying flat on the ground with the other elf bending over him. I smiled that I hadn't totally lost consciousness like he had.

I was feeling better now, and tried to get up. Rayult helped me to my feet and made sure I was steady before he let me go.

"Sorry 'bout that," Okteru apologized.

"It's fine," I reassured him, "It wasn't your fault."

"Wimp," Saris muttered. I shot a glare at her. Clearly she wasn't going to forgive me for threatening Faeras very easily.

The elf returned with a wooden cup filled with water and offered it to me.

"Thanks," I said as I accepted it. I paused before drinking. "What about Tristan? I think he needs it more than I do." I looked over to where he had been laying and saw that he had regained consciousness and was sitting up, rubbing his forehead. The elf nodded and took the cup over to him.

"Well," Faeras began, "I think we should get you to my father. He'll want to meet you two." We left the dragons behind with Tristan and the two elves and followed Faeras and Callaris to a small hallway. It was lit by dim lanterns and was so narrow only two people could walk side by side through the long, stone corridor. It seemed like we had been walking for several minutes when we rounded a corner and a light was visible.

As we approached the end of the hallway that tunneled through the mountain, it became more apparent that there were voices at its exit. By the sound of it, lots of voices.

"Um, Faeras? Just how many people did you tell that I was coming?" I asked.

He smiled and said, "Just my father, but then he was so excited that he told… well, everyone." A feeling of dread occupied my gut. I hated attention.

As we exited the tunnel, cheers erupted from all around. Flower petals rained from the sky and instruments erupted into song.

"Exactly what did I do to make everyone so happy?" I shouted over the din.

"We thought you were dead," Callaris explained, "But you're alive and safe! Your father was a good friend of Ariz. When we learned of not only his death, but yours as well, the king ordered a day of mourning. So naturally it would excite him that his best friend's daughter is alive." That made sense. But I still didn't enjoy it.

There were so many elves here that I couldn't even get a good look at my surroundings. They hung out of windows and crowded on balconies and rooftops. Children sat on their parents' shoulders and pointed excitedly in my direction. Suddenly, as if on queue, the entire song erupted into song. Their voices rose in fell in unison as they sang an old elfish song. The song was entirely in our native tongue, but I understood its meaning. It was a song of welcome and happiness.

I could have listened to them sing for hours, but I wanted to get out of there. I looked at Rayult, and he knew immediately that I was uncomfortable.

"Ca we go?" he asked Faeras. "I think Laeli wants to rest as soon as possible." Faeras looked at me and nodded.

"Let's go."


	30. Chapter 30 King Ariz

We followed him as he wound through the crowd. The mass of people realized our intentions and made a path for us, making it easier to traverse through the crowd. We eventually made it to the castle gate and went inside, shutting the noisy assembly out.

The guards inside the castle hall saluted the prince and I when we entered. I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable at the addition of more attention. A servant walked out of a side door and approached our party. He bowed first to Faeras, and then to me. He straightened up and flashed a brilliant smile.

"Greetings, Laeli, and welcome to Snowviolet," he said proudly. "My king requests an audience with Your Majesty. Please, this way." He bowed again and led the way down the hall and to a tall, wooden door. The guards posted at the door opened it and allowed us into what I assumed to be the throne room, for there were indeed thrones in it. I was feeling rather shy, and hid behind Rayult before I could get a good look at the king.

"Ah, my son!" Ariz cried when he saw Faeras. I wondered why he was so happy to see him when he had first greeted him only an hour before. It was probably because he knew I was with him.

"Oh, I do hope your flight was good! And the weather was nice? No problems? Oh I bet the mountains were beautiful today!" Ariz was so giddy he wouldn't give Faeras a chance to answer before speaking again. "Now, where is Laeli?" I peeked over Rayult's shoulder to look at the king's beaming face. Ariz shared a stunning resemblance with his son, except for his gray hair and wrinkles. The smile on his face widened when he saw me.

"Oh, Laeli," he paused thoughtfully, "Come out where I can see you!" I didn't move, but Rayult did so I was in full view of the king. "Oh! You look so much like Oenthe! And your dear mother, too! Please come closer!" I smiled at his compliments and took a few steps forward. The king rose from where he was sitting and strode forward to wrap me in a tight embrace.

"Father, you'll strangle her," Faeras teased. When Ariz stopped paying attention to me, he looked over to Rayult. All joy was gone from his face.

"Is that him?" he asked. I immediately turned a glare at Faeras who nodded.

The glare turned into the hatred of all hellfire when the king said, "Seize him."

"No!" I shouted, and ran in front of him protectively. Just to make my point, I morphed into a panther and snarled menacingly at anyone who got too close.

"Now, now," Ariz reassured me. "He threatened my only heir-" I roared at him before he could finish his sentence. I had no intention of hurting anyone unless it was absolutely necessary. The king sighed and called off the guards.

"Now shift back, and we'll talk this over," the king said. I hesitantly did as requested, but I did not move from where I was standing. "Why do you protect him?"

"He saved my life," I said, trying to stay away from the fact that I loved him. That could mean his death if Ariz discovered it. "On numerous occasions. I would have died if he wasn't there to help me."

"That doesn't make it okay for him to make threats against my son," Ariz explicated.

"He was only looking out for me," I retorted, "because your son had made forceful advances against me on several occasions." Ariz turned to face his son, who was looking bashfully at his feet.

"Is this true?" he asked. Faeras slowly nodded. Ariz sighed and closed his eyes in thought. After what seemed like ages, he opened his eyes and locked gazes with me. "He will not go to prison, but," he went on before I could celebrate my victory, "he must be punished." Dread replaced the joy that was in my heart. "Fifteen lashes."

"No!" I started to protest, but Rayult stepped in front of me.

"It's fine," he said loud enough that only I could hear. To Ariz, he said, "Very well. Give me a minute." He turned back to me, "You shouldn't have to see this. Go to your room, and-"

"No," I objected. "I won't leave you." Rayult sighed, but didn't argue.

He turned back to the king and said, "Let's get this over with."

**Alright I got everything Straightened out.. I'll try not to do that again :P**

**Post a comment!  
**


	31. Chapter 31 Punishment

The guards took him roughly by the arms and led the way back outside. When the doors opened, the crowd that had been there only minutes before had dispersed. The few who had lingered behind took interest and followed us to the whipping post.

When we arrived, the guards tied him up roughly and ripped his shirt off so his bare back was visible. One of them grabbed a whip and waited while Rayult's charges were read.

"This man," the guard began. I noticed he said 'man' instead of 'elf.' It was an insult. "Has been charged with threatening the life of Prince Faeras, the son of King Ariz; for which the deemed punishment is fifteen lashes."

I watched as the guard drew back his arm and brought the whip down with a resounding _crack!_

"One." A bloody gash had appeared on Rayult's back. Rayult hadn't made a sound.

Again, the whip smacked across Rayult's back. I cringed, but kept watching. Even still, a silent tear ran down my cheek.

"Two."

With each crack of the whip, Rayult sank lower and lower to the ground, until the only thing holding him up were his hands that were tied to the post. I wasn't so sure any more that I should have stayed.

"Five." As the whip smacked across Rayult once again, he broke his silence. He only grunted, but I knew the screams would soon follow. I couldn't watch any more and hid my face in Callaris's shoulder.

I was right. On the seventh lash, Rayult screamed in pain. I restrained a sob. Callaris put an arm around my shaking shoulders.

"Eleven." Rayult's cries of agony tore into my heart. I had never heard him make such a sound. I glanced up at the scene, and regretted doing so. The skin on Rayult's back was torn, and blood was flowing profoundly. I hid my eyes again.

"Fourteen." My tears soaked Callaris's shirt as I sobbed. I regretted coming. I should have took Rayult's advice and stayed in my room.

No. I needed to stay strong for his sake. Only one more. I forced myself to watch the final blow.

"Fifteen." The whip bit Rayult's back for the final time. Again, he screamed in torture.

I looked over at Ariz. His stone-like expression told me he wished he had made the punishment less severe. He looked over at me and his expression softened. I knew if he would have said something to me then, it would have been 'Sorry.'


	32. Chapter 32 Displeasures

"What happened?" I turned to see Tristan who had apparently still been passed out in the cave.

"I'll tell you later," Callaris said somberly.

I returned my attention to Rayult who was now untied and on all fours. The guards helped him up and led him away.

"Where are they taking him?" I asked Ariz.

"The infirmary," he responded as he turned to go back to the castle. "You may accompany your friend, but I wish to speak to you. Our conversation can wait until later, if you wish." I didn't answer and ran after Rayult and the two guards before they left my sight.

When I caught up with them, I noticed Rayult was unconscious. I tried hard not to look at his back or the trail of blood he left behind.

It was a short walk to the infirmary. It was probably so close because of occasions like this. The guards took Rayult inside and half carried, half dragged him up a flight of stairs. They laid him down on a bed face down and walked out. When they were gone, I ran over to him and knelt down next to where he was laying. I put my hands on his face and he opened his eyes.

"Laeli?" he said, obviously confused.

"Yes, it's me," I reassured him.

I looked at the door when it opened and two elves walked in. Both were women. One was carrying rags, an empty bowl, and a bucket of hot water. The other bore various utensils and poultices.

"Will he be okay?" I asked one of them.

She smiled and said, "He'll be fine. A few days and he'll be right as rain."

The nurses busied themselves and cleaned up Rayult's back. Some of the medicine must have stung, because Rayult's expression tightened whenever they applied some brown liquid to the cuts.

It took about an hour to get him fixed up. When they finished, they applied bandages and told me I should let him rest.

"But-" I started to protest, but the nurse stopped me.

"He needs to sleep. Go on, he'll be just fine in our care. We'll send for you when he wakes up." I looked back at Rayult who was looking up at me.

"I'll be alright. I'm not going anywhere. Trust me," he said as he pulled my hand to his lips and kissed my fingers. I smiled at him and reluctantly left the room. When I made it outside, a guard was waiting for me.

"Follow me, Princess Laeli," he said, "I'll take you to the castle." I remembered the way, but I didn't complain. He was just doing as he was told.

It wasn't far to the castle. When we arrived, instead of going into the throne room as I had anticipated, we took a different path. I followed the guard through halls and richly decorated corridors. We had been walking for some time when the guard suddenly stopped at a plain, wooden door.

"The king is waiting for you inside," he stated. I thanked him and opened the door.

Inside was a medium-sized room. It was dim and simple with one window, a fireplace, two couches, and a rug. On one of the couches sat King Ariz and Faeras.

"Ah, Laeli, dear!" Ariz said, obviously delighted to see me, "come and sit. We were just talking about you." I smiled and walked to the unoccupied couch and sat down.

"How is Rayult?" Faeras inquired with a sneer.

"He'll live," I said with equal curtness. As if he _really_ cared.

"Ah, now," Ariz said, trying to calm us, "Let's put that behind us. Laeli? I'm sure you know that your father and I, the gods rest him, were very good friends."

"Yes, but I only discovered this recently," I explained.

"Well, I first met him when my parents came to visit his at the castle you grew up in. I was several years older than he, but we soon became fast friends. When our parents realized this, they made sure we were in each other's company at least three times a year. Many years later, we made a point to attend each other's coronations, weddings, and any other important occasion." He paused to take a breath. "My wife and I came to visit your father a month after you were born. At the time, my wife was very pregnant, and gave birth at your castle."

"You mean…" I started, dumbstruck.

"Yes, Faeras was born at your father's castle. Well, the time came for us to leave. That was the last time I ever saw your parents. We kept in touch through letters and such, but the duties of ruling and parenting soon became too much to take the time to visit one another. Eventually, the letters stopped, and we lost touch. But one thing was decided between us." He stopped and looked at Faeras who spoke next.

"We're… betrothed."


	33. Chapter 33 Engaged

"I told you she wouldn't like it."

"No, no. We just surprised her is all. I bet she's elated."

"I beg to differ."

"She's coming around! Laeli? Laeli, dear? Here, drink up."

I felt a cup press against my lips and I drank the liquid inside. When I opened my eyes, I noticed I was on the floor.

"What happened?" I said, groggily.

"You fainted," Faeras said pointedly. He helped me to get back up on the couch. That was twice today, except the first time I didn't actually pass out.

"Are you alright?" Ariz inquired. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

"No," I mumbled. "I'm engaged to _him."_ I shot a glare at Faeras who was sitting next to me. He scooted away when he saw the look on my face.

"Aw, now, dear Princess," Ariz reproved, "Don't be like that. Consider your position! You've no home, no inheritance, and no money! Faeras can give you those things! He can give you happiness and-"

"I've already been through this with your son!" I shouted. "I don't want to marry him! I'm convinced that he's the last person in the world who could make me happy! I'd rather marry a dog than him!" The silence that followed was deafening. Ariz put a hand to his head in thought.

"Father?" Faeras said timidly. "I'm sure there's someone else out there who'd be willing. Clearly she's unwilling to cooperate." Well, duh.

Ariz looked up at his son, pain in his eyes. "I won't see her turned out into the street like a beggar. This is the only way!"

"No its not," I muttered. The king looked at me, confused.

"What?" he whispered.

"She means Rayult," Faeras said, matter-of-factly. If looks could kill, Faeras would have combusted just then under the force of my glare.

"I knew it," the king said, closing his eyes. "You _do _love him. It was obvious when you came along to watch him receive his punishment."

"What do you mean?" Faeras asked.

"He means that it's because I love him that I went to watch. If I didn't, I would have stayed away," I explained in a whisper.

"So you admit it, then?" Ariz accused. I nodded. "What do you propose, then? He has no more than you do. Even if he did, he's a lowly guard!" His voice was rising to a shout, "He has no right to be with you! His family and possessions are gone! He will bring you nothing! Nothing, you hear me?" The king's face was bright red. Anger distorted his once kind expression. I stood up from where I was sitting and walked so we were inches apart.

"You wish me to marry your son?" I said in a low voice.

"I do," Ariz growled.

"And I wish my father was here. Make that happen, and I'll reconsider." With that, I stormed out of the room. I looked down the hall and saw someone coming.

"Oh," he said, startled. "I was just coming to fetch you. You must be tired. Come, I'll show you to your room."

"Thank you," I said with a pleasant smile.


End file.
